Ministry of Manpower (MOM) announced in 2014 that the Ministry would require employers to issue key employment terms (KETs) in two years.

Who

Employers must issue KETs to their employees who are:

• Newly employed on or after 1 April 2016;
• Covered by the Employment Act; and
• Employed for a continuous period of 14 days or more.

Special note:

As a rule of thumb, if your employee earns up to $4,500/month, and is not a domestic worker, public servant or seafarer, it is likely that he/she is covered.

When to issue

Within 14 days of start of employment

Format

• Soft or hard copy
• Common key employment terms (e.g. leave policy that applies to a group of employees) can be provided in an employee handbook or company intranet

What to include

The key employment terms must include the items below, unless an item is not applicable, e.g.  if the employee is a PME and overtime pay does not apply to him/her, the KETs issued to him/her need not include items 11 and 12.

1. Full name of employer
2. Full name of employee
3. Job title, and main duties and responsibilities
4. Date of start of employment
5. (If employee is on a fixed-term contract）Duration of employment
6. Working arrangements, such as i) daily working hours (e.g. 9am to 6pm), ii) no. of working days per week (e.g. 5), and iii) rest day (eg. Saturday and Sunday)
7. Salary period (what dates the payment is for)
8. Basic salary per salary period** For hourly, daily or piece-rated workers, employers should also indicate the basic rate of pay (e.g. $12 per hour, day or piece)
9. Fixed allowances per salary period
10. Fixed deductions per salary period
11. (If different from item 7) Overtime payment period
12. Overtime rate of pay
13. Other salary-related components, such as bonuses and incentives
14. Leave entitlements, such as annual leave, outpatient sick leave, hospitalisation leave, maternity leave, and childcare leave
15. Other medical benefits, such as insurance, medical benefits and dental benefits.
16. Probation period
17. Notice period

For more information, please refer to the MOM website at www.mom.gov.sg.