Cash rewards of up to S$3,000 will be handed out to SMRT staff for successful referrals under its enhanced employee referral scheme, SMRT Corporation announced on Monday (Dec 14).

The transport operator added that a total of 700 new hires are expected as it gears up for growth. At present, there are approximately 9,000 SMRT employees.

For each successful new hire under the company’s enhanced scheme, each SMRT staff can stand to earn cash rewards of up to S$3,000.

SMRT also rolled out sign-on bonuses of up to S$3,000 for Bus Captains, Rail Supervisors and Engineers. For job applicants successfully recruited as Rail Supervisors, it will earn the referrer S$1,500, while those successfully recruited as Engineers will earn the referrer S$3,000, it said.

According to the transport operator, successful referrals for those who join SMRT as Bus Captains/Bus Trainers are worth S$1,600. In addition to the cash incentive, these new hires may also receive a sign-on bonus of about S$2,000.

The sign-on bonus is valid from Dec 11, 2015 to Apr 1, 2016.

Mr Gerard Koh, SMRT’s Vice-President for Human Resources, said: “As SMRT works to strengthen its maintenance and operations support for rail and bus services, it is critical that we reach out to fresh graduates from ITE, polytechnics and the universities, as well as mid-career professionals with not just the qualifications but also the passion to join SMRT as it transforms its network to serve commuters better.”

SMRT said its enhanced Employee Referral Scheme is designed to address demand for competitive positions such as Bus Captains.