Organisations in Singapore with more than 200 employees will need at least one HR professional certified at IHRP Certified Professional level or higher from 1 July 2028, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Thursday, 24 September 2026.
The requirement is one of five recommendations from the Tripartite Workgroup on Human Capital Capability Development, co-chaired by MOM, NTUC and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF). Its report was released at the Institute for Human Resource Professionals’ (IHRP) People Behind People Forum, and the Government accepted all five recommendations the same day.
Firms can also meet the rule if their HR staff hold equivalent certifications from international HR bodies recognised by IHRP, subject to any bridging requirements.
Certification fees and subsidy
An additional $100 subsidy, on top of existing subsidies for Singapore residents, applies from 1 October 2026 to 30 June 2028. It brings the fee to $163.50 for IHRP-CP certification and $272.50 for IHRP Senior Professional certification. Both are valid for three years.
Employers can use their SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit to cover the remaining out-of-pocket fees. The support is open to organisations of every size, including those with 200 or fewer employees that fall outside the requirement.
“HR professionals are the ‘stewards of human capital’ and must move towards becoming strategic partners for our workers as businesses transform and adopt AI,” said NTUC assistant secretary-general Patrick Tay, one of the workgroup’s three co-chairs.
The other four recommendations
The Singapore Opportunity Index, first announced in October 2025, becomes the national benchmark for the opportunities employers create, measured on progression, pay, hiring, retention and gender parity. Tripartite partners will help firms read their index reports.
SNEF and IHRP will publish workforce-planning guides. For smaller firms without senior HR staff, IHRP and start-up co:grow are piloting a scheme that places experienced HR leaders in SMEs on a part-time, embedded basis.
A new People-centred AI Transformation for HR (PATH) initiative will offer AI Starter Kits with consultancy, training and funding for HR use cases, and IHRP will add training aligned to 12 new AI Fluency Skills Badges. NTUC will release a playbook for HR professionals in the first quarter of 2027. The workgroup also called for guidance on responsible AI use in recruitment.
The Human Capital Leadership Institute is designing a leadership programme for senior HR and people leaders.
Together, the measures aim to benefit more than two million workers, support at least 2,000 enterprises and build the capabilities of 20,000 HR professionals and people leaders. MOM said the certification rule will also help firms prepare for the Workplace Fairness Act and changes to the Employment Act.
