[BCM] [MOM] [E3] [BIA] [DP] [CBF] [2] Foreign Workforce Management

[Business Impact Analysis] [Detailed Business Processes] [CBF-2]

Part 1: Identification of Detailed Processes (Sub-CBF) of the Critical Business Functions for the Ministry of Manpower

CBF-2: Foreign Workforce Management

Among MOM’s critical business functions (CBFs), Foreign Workforce Management (CBF-2) stands out as a cornerstone of national manpower resilience.

This function underpins the continued availability of manpower resources across essential industries—such as construction, marine, process, and services—that rely heavily on migrant workers to maintain operations and support Singapore’s development.

Within the Business Continuity Management (BCM) framework, the Foreign Workforce Management function represents a high-impact, high-dependency process.

Any disruption to this function—such as a border closure, a dormitory outbreak, or the sudden suspension of work pass processing—can have cascading effects on businesses, communities, and Singapore’s broader economic continuity.

The COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, vividly demonstrated how disruptions in foreign workforce inflows could stall infrastructure projects, delay essential services, and strain employers’ operational capacities.

This chapter examines CBF-2 from a business continuity perspective, detailing the key business processes, stakeholders, and controls that ensure the uninterrupted management of the foreign workforce ecosystem.

It also aligns MOM’s operational responsibilities with the principles of ISO 22301 and ISO 22361, highlighting the importance of proactive risk identification, policy adaptability, and coordinated crisis response.

Through this analysis, readers will gain an appreciation of how MOM ensures that foreign workforce management remains agile, compliant, and resilient, even amid complex crises or national disruptions.

Below is a detailed breakdown of the high-level critical business function CBF-2: Foreign Workforce Management for the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) of Singapore, aligned to business continuity management (BCM) planning.

This includes a decomposition into major process streams, sub-processes, inputs/outputs, roles, key controls and example activities.

High-Level Function & Rationale

CBF-2 Foreign Workforce Management is a critical business function for MOM because:

• The foreign workforce complements local manpower, enabling businesses to operate and deliver services, which is integral to MOM’s mission of enabling businesses to thrive and create good jobs for Singaporeans.
• MOM must regulate, monitor and enforce foreign manpower controls (work passes, quotas, levies, housing, dormitories) to maintain labour market balance, safeguard migrant worker well-being and uphold Singapore’s reputation as a safe and fair workplace.
• In a disruption scenario (e.g., pandemic, dormitory outbreak, sector shutdown, immigration suspension), the ability to continue/manage the foreign workforce safely and in compliance is essential for business continuity of many sectors (construction, marine, services) that depend on such workers.

Thus, under a BCM perspective, CBF-2 is a “must-maintain” function: if this function fails, significant consequences follow (labour shortages, non-compliance, reputational damage, legal exposure).

Major Process Streams within CBF-2

We can break CBF-2 into the following major process streams:

• Policy & Planning

• Work Pass Application & Issuance

• Arrival, Onboarding & Deployment

• Monitoring, Compliance & Enforcement

• Renewal / Transfer / Exit Management

• Support Services & Well-being

Below, I detail each process stream with sub-processes, roles, inputs/outputs, key controls and an example relevant to MOM.

Policy & Planning

Purpose: To design, update and plan the foreign workforce framework – quotas, levies, eligibility, processes – to align with the national labour strategy and ensure resilience.

Sub-processes & details for Sub-CBF-2.1

Example: MOM policy update in March 2025 abolished the employment cap (14-26 years) for Work Permit holders from July 1 2025, a strategic shift to retain experienced foreign workers.

Work Pass Application & Issuance

Purpose: To manage employer and foreign worker applications for appropriate work passes (Work Permit, S Pass, Employment Pass, etc).

Sub-processes for Sub-CBF-2.2

Example:

The employer applies for a Work Permit for a non-Malaysian worker. They submit the application, pay the fee, get an IPA (In Principle Approval) letter, arrange for the worker’s arrival, and then, once verified, the card is issued.

Arrival, Onboarding & Deployment

Purpose: To ensure foreign workers arrive, are settled, deployed compliantly, and that housing/health/safety protocols are met.

Sub-processes for Sub-CBF-2.3

Example:

An employer hires a male non-Malaysian in the Construction/Marine/Process (CMP) sector. Before arrival, they submit a housing check, the worker arrives, attends a 3-day Onboard programme at MOM Onboard Centre, passes a medical examination, registers a digital pass, and begins deployment on-site. 

Monitoring, Compliance & Enforcement

Purpose: To ensure foreign workforce management remains within regulatory frameworks (quotas, levy payments, housing standards), detect and enforce non-compliance, and maintain sector integrity.

Sub-processes for Sub-CBF-2.4

Example

FMMD receives a tip-off of an employer exceeding the quota for migrant workers in the services sector. They audit the employer’s workforce, find non-compliance and impose a levy surcharge or ban on hiring foreign workers.

Renewal / Transfer / Exit Management

Purpose

To manage the lifecycle of foreign workers throughout employment – renewals, transfers between employers, cancellations, exit or repatriation—ensuring the continuity of records and compliance.

Sub-processes for Sub-CBF-2.5

Example

A foreign worker’s Work Permit is expiring in 2 months. The employer submits the renewal application, updates the salary (where required), pays the fee, and receives approval. Two weeks later, the worker’s pass is renewed for 2 years. If the worker changes employer, the employer applies for the CoE, and MOM approves.

Support Services & Well-being

Purpose

To provide supporting functions that ensure the welfare of foreign workers (especially migrant workers/domestic workers), training/education for employers, housing/deployment support, and crisis management.

Sub-processes for Sub-CBF-2.6

Example

A dormitory fire occurs in a large purpose-built dormitory housing migrant workers. MOM’s Security & Preparedness Department activates the crisis plan, works with FMMD, dorm operator, employers and employers’ associations to ensure workers are safe, repatriated if needed, alternative housing arranged and continuity of deployment is maintained.

3. Mapping to BCM Phases

In your eBook context (with BCM phases: Project Management, Risk Analysis & Review, Business Impact Analysis, Business Continuity Strategy, Plan Development, Testing & Exercising, Program Management), here is a quick mapping for CBF-2:

• Risk Analysis & Review: Identify risks to foreign workforce management (e.g., border closure, housing outbreak, pass system outage, quota shock).
• Business Impact Analysis: Assess impact of disruption on sectors relying on foreign workers (construction, marine, services) and on MOM’s ability to oversee/monitor.
• Business Continuity Strategy: Strategy might include digital pass self-service, cross-agency agreements for alternative worker deployment, shift to local labour, housing surge capacity, backup systems in pass issuance.
• Plan Development: Develop detailed procedures for application backlog, emergency arrivals, alternate housing, emergency enforcement.
• Testing & Exercising: Carry out simulations (e.g., dorm outbreak scenario) for the foreign workforce supply chain and MOM’s internal processes (WPD, FMMD).
• Program Management: Ongoing monitoring of metrics (e.g., number of passes issued, compliance incidents, dorm inspections, SLA achievement) and maintaining the continuity plan for foreign workforce management.

Example Scenario in Chapter

To make this more concrete in the eBook/chapter, you might include a scenario such as:

Scenario: A global pandemic causes overseas recruitment to be suspended unexpectedly for 4 weeks, and dormitory housing becomes unavailable due to quarantine lockdown in Singapore.

For a large construction firm that relies on 300 non-Malaysian Work Permit holders, the possible business interruption is high.

Under CBF-2, MOM’s processes are activated:

• The Policy & Planning team triggers the continuity plan for foreign workforce inflow, liaises with Home Affairs/ICA for immigration flexibility.
• The Work Pass Division expedites renewals for existing workers to avoid expiry.
• The Onboarding/Deployment process shifts to onboard in-Singapore arrival with housing alternatives.
• FMMD shifts enforcement emphasis to housing safety, dorm review, and employer obligations to pay wages even if workers cannot report to work (as occurred in COVID-19 lockdowns).
• Support Services engages with employers and dorm operators to ensure workers’ welfare, accommodation, and alternate deployment where possible.

This scenario demonstrates how disruption in the foreign workforce supply chain can impact business continuity and how the various process streams within CBF-2 must remain operational, resilient and well coordinated.

The Foreign Workforce Management function is not merely an administrative or regulatory activity—it is a strategic continuity enabler that sustains Singapore’s productivity, labour market equilibrium, and social stability.

 By integrating this function within MOM’s broader Business Continuity Management framework, the ministry ensures that the systems, processes, and partnerships supporting the foreign workforce remain operational even under crisis conditions.

Effective continuity planning for CBF-2 requires more than just redundancy in systems or manpower.

It demands a holistic, cross-agency coordination model involving the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of National Development, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, and employers across affected sectors.

This collaboration ensures that the management of foreign manpower—covering policy formulation, work pass processing, housing safety, and welfare—continues without significant disruption.

From a resilience standpoint, MOM’s approach to managing foreign manpower exemplifies adaptive governance in action.

The ministry’s ongoing digital transformation, data-driven policy formulation, and crisis-tested operational structures demonstrate how continuity planning can evolve alongside societal needs and global challenges.

As Singapore continues to strengthen its workforce resilience, CBF-2 remains a critical capability—one that safeguards both national economic stability and the dignity of the workers who help build it.

Resilient Support: Implementing Business Continuity Management at Ministry of Manpower (Singapore)
eBook 3: Starting Your BCM Implementation
MBCO	P&S	RAR T1	RAR T2	RAR T3	BCS T1	CBF
CBF 2: Foreign Workforce Management
DP	BIAQ T1	BIAQ T2	BIAQ T3	BCS T2	BCS T3	PD

 

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