[BCM] [MOM] [E1] [C4] Establishing Business Continuity Objectives

Chapter 4

What Are the MOM’s Business Continuity Objectives?

Introduction

As a key government ministry responsible for shaping Singapore’s manpower landscape, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) plays a critical role in supporting employment, ensuring workplace safety and health, regulating work passes, and maintaining the nation’s overall labour stability.

In times of crisis or operational disruption, MOM must continue delivering essential public services to maintain citizens’ trust, uphold national resilience, and support economic continuity.

To achieve this, MOM implements a comprehensive Business Continuity Management (BCM) programme aligned with ISO 22301:2019 – Security and Resilience – Business Continuity Management Systems (BCMS).

The following section outlines MOM’s overarching business continuity objectives that guide the ministry in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disruptions.

MOM’s Business Continuity Objectives

Objective 1: Ensure Continuity of Essential Public Services

Central to MOM’s mission is the delivery of labour regulation, workplace protection, and workforce policies. A disruption cannot result in a prolonged loss of essential public services, such as:

• work pass operations,
• foreign workforce management and regulatory enforcement,
• assistance for employees and employers, and
• workplace safety and health monitoring.

MOM’s BCM objective aims to ensure the timely restoration of essential services at pre-defined Minimum Business Continuity Objectives (MBCO) even under severe disruption.

Objective 2: Safeguard the Well-being, Safety, and Security of Employees and Stakeholders

The ministry interacts daily with multiple stakeholder groups—employees, employers, migrant workers, training providers, and partner agencies. MOM’s BCM programme prioritises:

• the safety of its staff,
• the physical and health security of frontline and enforcement teams,
• protection of migrant workers’ welfare during emergencies, and
• continuation of critical regulatory and support functions at safe locations.

This ensures that no crisis disproportionately impacts vulnerable sectors or key workforce groups.

Objective 3: Maintain Confidence in Singapore’s Labour and Manpower Systems

MOM plays a pivotal role in maintaining public confidence in the integrity of Singapore’s manpower ecosystem. Disrupted services could affect:

• employer confidence,
• worker protections,
• foreign workforce operations, and
• overall economic stability.

Therefore, MOM’s BCM objective includes maintaining transparent communication, ensuring service reliability, and upholding public trust, even during crisis-driven service adjustments.

Objective 4: Protect Critical Information, Technology, and Operational Assets

Many MOM services are delivered through digital platforms, such as work pass systems, employer e-services, and regulatory databases. MOM’s BCM framework aims to:

• ensure the continual availability of mission-critical IT systems,
• protect sensitive workforce and regulatory data,
• secure digital services against cyber threats,
• ensure rapid resumption of key digital operations within acceptable Recovery Time Objectives (RTO).

The protection of these assets ensures the ministry can operate seamlessly despite cyberattacks, system failures, or physical disruptions.

Objective 5: Strengthen Cross-Agency Coordination and National Resilience

MOM frequently collaborates with agencies such as:

• Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA),
• Ministry of Health (MOH),
• Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI),
• agencies overseeing migrant worker welfare, housing, and operations.

BCM objectives include maintaining strong inter-agency collaboration to ensure consistent national responses to crises such as pandemics, public health outbreaks, economic disruptions, or major safety incidents.

Objective 6: Build a Prepared Workforce through BCM Training and Awareness

A resilient ministry requires personnel who understand their roles during disruptions. MOM’s BCM objective includes:

• training employees in crisis response and continuity procedures,
• conducting regular exercises and simulations,
• embedding BCM awareness into organisational culture, and
• ensuring continuity teams are competent, prepared, and confident.

This helps ensure readiness at all organisational levels.

Objective 7: Ensure Effective Crisis Communication and Stakeholder Engagement

Clear, coordinated communication is essential for maintaining trust during a disruption. MOM’s BCM programme seeks to:

• maintain a reliable crisis communication framework,
• provide timely updates via public channels,
• ensure accurate dissemination of policy changes or emergency responses,
• prevent misinformation that could impact employers, workers, or foreign workforce stakeholders.

This objective supports transparency and stability across the manpower ecosystem.

Objective 8: Reduce Operational and Recovery Risks through Proactive BCM Planning

MOM’s BCM is not only about response—it is about proactive preparedness. MOM’s aim is to:

• identify vulnerabilities through risk assessments,
• conduct business impact analyses (BIA),
• plan mitigation strategies,
• strengthen the resilience of critical operations, and
• ensure resources (people, technology, facilities) support rapid recovery.

This reduces the likelihood of operational disruptions and minimises recovery delays.

The Ministry of Manpower’s business continuity objectives encapsulate the ministry’s commitment to safeguarding public services, protecting stakeholders, and supporting national manpower stability during disruptions.

By aligning with ISO 22301 and incorporating proactive resilience planning, MOM ensures it remains prepared for a wide range of crisis scenarios—from system outages and cyber incidents to public health emergencies and physical facility disruptions.

These objectives form the foundation of MOM’s Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) and guide the development of its continuity plans, capability-building efforts, and future resilience strategies.

More Information About Business Continuity Management Courses

To learn more about the course and schedule, click the buttons below for the BCM-300 Business Continuity Management Implementer [B-3] course and the BCM-5000 Business Continuity Management Expert Implementer [B-5].