What is Singapore’s Occupational Employment Dataset (OED)? How HR Can Stay Compliant

When it comes to HR management, understanding shifts in workforce trends, such as wage ranges and employment patterns, is key to making smart HR decisions. Without accurate and up-to-date data, it can be challenging to stay compliant with labor laws and maintain a competitive edge in the job market.

According to Grand View Research, “the workforce analytics market in Asia Pacific is expected to reach a projected revenue of US$ 1,362.9 million by 2030. A compound annual growth rate of 15.9% is expected of the Asia Pacific workforce analytics market from 2024 to 2030.”

In other words, business owners like you are investing more and more in workforce analytics because they understand the need for frequent updates about the market. This need is exactly where Singapore’s Occupational Employment Dataset (OED) comes in. Read on to understand OED, its importance, and how to maneuver its requirements.

What is Singapore’s Occupational Employment Dataset (OED)?

The OED is an online, live registry run by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and other government agencies. It includes occupational and employment data of current workers in Singapore, categorizing the Singapore workforce into various sectors, skill levels, and job roles, while simultaneously tracking wage variations across occupations, industries, and expertise levels.

Why is the OED important in Singapore?

MOM uses the Occupational Employment Dataset to ensure fair wages for employees, according to the Progressive Wage Model (MWM) minimum wage requirements and Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) requirements. As such, you’re required to provide updated occupational and employment details of workers under your payroll.

Since MOM collects such accurate and up-to-date data about occupations and employment, it gains in-depth insights into wage ranges, working hours, occupational trends, and employee movements.

With such input, it establishes data-driven manpower policies and helps business owners and job seekers understand market trends and make data-driven decisions. This makes it a valuable tool that you can use for recruitment and workforce planning. You can leverage it to evaluate performance gaps, detect high-demand jobs, and set competitive salaries.

Lastly, the government collects data for surveys that inform their manpower policies. This brings the quarterly Labor Force Survey (LFS) to mind, an official national survey whose complete quantitative questions benefit from the OED data, minimizing the survey load on organizations.

The LFS has contributed to the making of National Wage Council Guidelines, the Retirement and Re-employment Act, Employment Strategies for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), and Recommendations by Tripartite Workgroup on Older Workers.

Relevant reading: How to Implement Singapore's Workplace Fairness Bill into Your HR Practices

Who needs to comply with Singapore’s OED?

If you have a registered business in Singapore, you need to comply with OED requirements for all the employees under your payroll, whether they’re citizens, permanent residents, or foreigners. This requirement applies to all businesses, regardless of sector. As for the data that you must report to MOM, they fall under the three following classifications:

Core data items:

• National registration identity card
• Full name
• Job title
• Contractual working hours
• PWM job level (for employees covered under PWM)

Secondary data items:

• Full-time/part-time
• Date joined
• Date left
• Total number of working days in the month
• Actual number of days/hours worked in the months

Additional data items:

• Job duties
• Type of employee
• Highest education attained
• Mode of payment
• Mode of leaving
• Postal code of working locations
• Basic wage
• Gross wage
• Paid OT hours
• Annual leave entitlement
• Premise type

How do I submit Singapore’s OED?

To submit OED, follow the step-by-step instructions below to complete each phase of the process:

1. OED login

• Go to the OED portal.
• Under the OED section, click “log into OED.”
• For the company log-in path, choose “For Companies.”
• Log in using your Singpass.

2. Data entry

• If a pop-up window doesn’t appear directing you to the OED submission page, select the “Occupational Employment Dataset (OED)” tab.
• Click “Proceed.”
• Select “Update OED.”
• Choose the web browser or Excel for offline data entry (the latter being the preferred option for businesses with multiple employees.)
• Under the “Edit Offline in Excel” section, choose “Download Records to Edit.”
• Open the downloaded Excel file called “Employee Listing.”
• Save the file’s name as your company’s UEN with only alphanumeric characters (no spaces or special characters).
• Fill in the “Core data.”
• Select “Not Applicable” from the dropdown list under the PWM Job Level Column if you don’t have any applicable PW workers.
• If you didn’t prorate any employees’ salaries that month, you can skip to the additional data items. If not, fill in the “Secondary Data.”
• Fill in the “Additional Data Items” if applicable.

3. OED record submission

• From the OED submission page, select “Upload Records.”
• Enter your email address under Email ID to get updates on the status of your OED submission.
• Drag and drop the OED record file, or click “Select file(s) to add it.
• Select “Attach.”

How does the OED connect with other workforce policies?

The OED plays into the requirements of certain policies and schemes, such as the progressive wage mark, an accreditation scheme recognizing companies that pay lower-wage workers progressive wages. This scheme gives accredited companies more visibility, leading to more support from consumers and corporate buyers.

But where does OED come in? 

The OED data collected helps authorities assess your company’s eligibility for the progressive wage mark. Additionally, this information allows the Progressive Wage Model (PWM), which is the comprehensive wage structure, to set the Progressive Wage (PW) and Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) requirements.

Common OED Challenges for HR Teams

As you strive for OED compliance, you want to be proactive about the potential challenges, which are as follows:

Mapping internal job titles to OED classifications

As an HR expert, you might have workers with job titles that are used internally (within your firm) but don’t exist outside of it. As a result, you won’t find these exact internal job titles among the OED job classifications, which makes you unsure of how to list them.

In that case, you can use your knowledge of the internal job description and responsibilities to match it with the closest listed job role in business type and nature. For additional guidance, refer to the MOM reference guide, where you’ll find the available OED fields along with their explanations.

Filling the data field for employees with several job roles

If your employees wear many hats, it can be difficult to select a role that ticks all the boxes. The best practice here is to opt for the job role that takes up the bulk of their working hours or that best reflects their core responsibility.

Keeping up with updates

It can be a hassle to keep up with regulatory updates to OED requirements. Still, it’s necessary to maintain business compliance, which is why you need solid all-in-one HR software, like Omni, for compliance. It has the comprehensive modules and adaptability to local regulations and global standards that’ll put your mind at ease.

Ensuring consistent data across HR, payroll and MOM submissions

Naturally, the OED data must be consistent with your HR data records and payroll processes for accurate reports and data-driven decision-making. To prevent discrepancies, standardize data formats and definitions and ensure that everyone is aware of these definitions. Also, conduct data quality checks and audits regularly using automated tools to identify errors.

Best Practices for Staying Compliant

As an HR expert, the following practices will simplify Occupational Employment Dataset compliance for you, protecting your brand’s revenue and reputation against penalties and legal action:

• Ensuring timely updates: You want to update your OED data whenever there’s a change. We recommend timing it to your monthly Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions and before PW mark applications.
• Following up: Await the verification email from the system to learn which OED submissions were successful and which weren’t. Records with errors will be in red; you can re-download them from the OED portal and edit and re-submit them. And if the government agency requests updates or extra information, comply with these requests promptly.
• Using an HR solution: Upgrading to seamless HR software solutions like Omni to streamline OED submissions and reports, facilitating compliance and ensuring efficiency with MOM’s policies.

How HRIS Can Help

Upgrading to modern HR platforms is a no-brainer when it comes to streamlining compliance, especially for requirements like Singapore’s Occupational Employment Dataset (OED) submissions. An HR platform like Omni automates extraction, mapping, and reporting, making the OED submission process smooth, accurate, and stress-free.

With Omni’s built-in OED submission feature, you can generate and submit records directly through our payroll system to the MOM portal. Just populate your employee data in the integrated sheet, and Omni takes care of the rest, including secure data storage for future submissions.

Omni also supports integrations that align with MOM’s specific reporting formats and alert you to regulatory changes, helping you stay compliant at all times. The platform minimizes the risk of human error through automation, offers time-tracking and attendance features to validate working hours, and provides audit trails for internal reviews.

In short, Omni helps you get OED compliance right the first time, all while freeing up your HR team to focus on what matters most: your people.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How often do companies need to submit OED data?

You need to update OED information whenever changes occur in the occupational and employment details. During months without changes, the system automatically populates the previous month’s records.

2. What is SSOC, and how does it relate to OED?

The Singapore Standard Occupational Classification (SSOC) is the national standard for classifying occupations in Singapore. It is utilized for censuses, household surveys, and administrative databases. The SSOC adopts the basic framework and principles of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) and is periodically reviewed to reflect developments in the labor market, including the emergence of new occupations. 

While the SSOC serves as the official framework for occupational classification, it is not explicitly stated that the OED submissions must strictly adhere to SSOC codes. However, given that the SSOC is the national standard, it is reasonable to infer that OED job classifications are aligned with or based on the SSOC framework. For definitive guidance, always consult the MOM or relevant authorities. 

3. What if my internal job titles don’t match the SSOC codes?

You choose the closest listed classification to the internal job title if it isn’t listed in the OED classifications. Refer to the MOM reference guide for explanations of OED fields.

4. How is the OED different from the Comprehensive Labour Force Survey (CLFS)?

OED data is collected or updated monthly, whereas the Comprehensive Labour Force Survey (CLFS) data is collected yearly between March and August. Both are used for statistical purposes, helping shape manpower policies, but OED data also contributes to your business’s eligibility for the progressive wage mark.

5. How does OED compliance affect my company?

OED compliance ensures that your employees are paid fairly, and it enables you to renew existing work passes or apply for new work passes, protecting your workflow.

6. What’s the benefit of participating in the OED beyond compliance?

As a business owner, it helps your business qualify for the progressive wage mark. Not to mention, it gives policymakers the needed insights to improve manpower policies, benefiting you in the long run.

7. Where can I find more official information on the OED?

You can find more input via the OED glossary, guide, FAQ page, and MOM website.

Simplify OED Reporting with Omni Payroll

Submitting accurate Occupational Employment Dataset (OED) records is a critical compliance requirement for all Singaporean businesses. Ensuring proper classification and timely submission not only avoids penalties but also supports national manpower planning. 

Using an HRIS like Omni streamlines this process by automating data collection, tracking, and submission, reducing errors and overhead. With Omni, you can generate and submit OED records directly through the platform, access pre-filled templates, and securely store employee data for future use. 

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Take the hassle out of OED reporting with Omni. Book a demo with our team today!