What C4 measures
C4 is the Support for Local Employment criterion in COMPASS (Complementarity Assessment Framework). It recognises organisations that create opportunities for the local workforce and build complementary teams of both local and foreign professionals.
C4 is one of the four foundational criteria in COMPASS. The other three foundational criteria are C1 Salary, C2 Qualifications and C3 Diversity. C5 Skills bonus and C6 Strategic Economic Priorities bonus are bonus criteria. An Employment Pass (EP) application must pass a two-stage framework: it must meet the EP qualifying salary, and unless exempted, it must earn 40 points under COMPASS. C4 contributes toward those 40 points.
How C4 is scored
C4 scoring turns on your organisation’s PMET headcount. PMET means professionals, managers, executives and technicians.
Your organisation employs fewer than 25 PMETs. The application scores 10 points for C4 by default.
Your organisation employs at least 25 PMETs. Your points depend on your organisation’s local PMET share relative to its sector.
The points follow fixed percentile bands:
| Local PMET share relative to sector | Points |
|---|---|
| 50th percentile and above | 20 |
| 20th to less than 50th percentile | 10 |
| Below 20th percentile | 0 |
A separate floor protects high-local-employment firms. If your organisation’s local PMET share is at least 70% (pegged to the 20th percentile of organisations economy-wide), your application scores at least 10 points for C4. This holds regardless of where your organisation stands within its own sector.
What “local PMET share” means
Local PMET share is your organisation’s local PMET employees measured against your sector. You can use the Workforce Insights tool on myMOM Portal to check your sector classification and your local PMET share relative to your sector.
The nationality of your organisation’s employees, including Permanent Residents, is based on the nationality shown on their passport in the Singapore Government’s records. Those records determine how PMETs are counted under C4.
C4 measures one input: your local PMET share relative to your sector, or the default for small firms. The points come entirely from the percentile bands above. MOM’s published case studies show the mechanics. In Example A-2, a small firm with fewer than 25 PMETs scores 10 points for C4 by default. In Example C, a software firm sitting at the 10th percentile of its sector scores 0 points for C4, even though its candidate sits at the 95th salary percentile.
Check your C4 position before applying
Employers and employment agents can use the Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) to check a candidate’s eligibility before applying. The Workforce Insights tool reflects your organisation’s C4 position from MOM’s workforce records.
The Workforce Insights tool on myMOM Portal shows your scores for C3 Diversity and C4 Support for Local Employment. The tool also gives your workforce profile and industry benchmarks for salary and non-monetary benefits based on MOM survey data.
Steps to prepare your application
- Confirm your organisation’s PMET headcount.
- Count PMETs on your payroll by passport nationality in Singapore Government records.
- Open the Workforce Insights tool on myMOM Portal.
- Check your sector classification there.
- Check your local PMET share relative to your sector.
- Note the default 10 points if you have fewer than 25 PMETs.
- Estimate your points from the percentile bands if you have at least 25 PMETs.
- Run the Self-Assessment Tool before you submit the application.
These steps are preparation guidance, not official rules. Only MOM’s assessment of the submitted application determines the outcome.
How C4 fits with the other criteria
C4 alone can contribute up to 20 points toward the 40-point pass mark. Most applications score around 10 points on each of the four foundational criteria and reach exactly 40 points, as shown in MOM’s Example A-1 and Example A-2.
A weak C4 score is not fatal. In Example B, the candidate scores 0 on C1 Salary but 20 on C3 Diversity, and the application still reaches 40 points. A low C4 can be offset by stronger scores on C1, C2 or C3, or by a C5 or C6 bonus.
The C6 Strategic Economic Priorities bonus interacts with C4 at renewal. The SEP bonus lasts up to 3 years, or the duration of your eligible programme, whichever is shorter. At renewal, your supporting agency checks that you earned at least 10 points for C3 and at least 10 points for C4 in each of the 3 months before renewal. This renewal condition ties continued SEP bonus eligibility to ongoing C4 performance.
Where to read the official rules
- Eligibility for Employment Pass — Ministry of Manpower
- Key facts on Employment Pass — Ministry of Manpower