Employment Lawyers in Singapore

The Employment Act in Singapore

The relation between employers and employees in Singapore fall under the Employment Act and is based on a contract of employment. The conclusion of an employment contract may be agreed upon by both parties, but it must respect the provisions of the Singapore Employment Law. A particularity of the Employment Act is that it does not apply to all employees, the exceptions being:

• – statutory board employees,
• – seamen,
• – domestic workers,
• – civil servants (since 1 April 2019, managers, executives and professionals are covered by the Act),
• – Government staff.

Our Singapore employment lawyers can give you more details on this matter.

The employment contract in Singapore

The employment contract which is also known as an employment agreement, appointment letter or offer letter in Singapore defines the terms and conditions of employment. The most employed type of employment agreement in Singapore is the written contract. According to the Employment Law, an employment contract must contain the following information:

• – the position of the employee,
• – the duration of employment in case of temporary contracts,
• – the date of employment,
• – the wage,
• – the work hours,
• – a probation clause, in case the Singapore company requires so,
• – the code of conduct,
• – the termination conditions.

For details about hiring personnel please contact our Singapore employment lawyers.

The employees’ rights in Singapore

The Employment Law provides several guidelines for employees of companies in Singapore. Two of these guidelines refer to the salary and work conditions. According to the Singapore Employment Law, an employee’s salary must be paid at least once a month. The employer is entitled to make deductions from an employee’s salary only in the case of:

• – unmotivated absence from work,
• – for taxation reasons,
•  -if the employee has failed to pay a loan and the bank requires so,
• – social security contributions.

With respect to the conditions of work, non-workmen earning up to 2,600 S$ per month and workmen earning up to 4,500 S$ per month benefit from the following:

• – they are not required to work more than 8 hours per day, or 44 hours per week,
• – they are entitled to at least one rest day per week (Sunday, or another day fixed by the employer),
• – the overtime cannot exceed 72 hours within a month.

For more information regarding the rights of employers and employees you can ask our employment lawyers in Singapore.