Demographics of Food Delivery Platform Workers and Foreign Worker Impact on Incomes of Local Platform Workers
Ministry of ManpowerSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the demographics of food delivery platform workers and the impact of foreign labor on local incomes, as raised by Mr Pritam Singh. Minister for Manpower Dr Tan See Leng stated that 15,300 residents, including 13,400 citizens and 1,900 Permanent Residents, performed regular delivery work in 2024. He explained that only locals can be platform workers, with third-party logistics foreigners restricted by dependency caps and fixed salaries rather than per-job pay. To protect local livelihoods, the Ministry enforces rules against illegal work while operators must audit outsourced firms and provide transparency on practices. Finally, tripartite recommendations encourage platform workers to move to high-demand areas to minimize outsourcing needs and ensure sustainable incomes for local workers.
Transcript
48 Mr Pritam Singh asked the Minister for Manpower to date, (a) what is the total number of platform workers undertaking food delivery; (b) how many are Singaporeans and Permanent Residents respectively as registered by platform operators; (c) how does the Ministry ensure the number of foreigners undertaking food delivery work does not affect the incomes of local platform workers; and (d) how does it track the ratio of local and foreign platform workers.
Dr Tan See Leng: In 2024, there were 15,300 Singapore residents who regularly worked as delivery platform workers, covering both food and parcel delivery services. They comprise 13,400 Singapore Citizens and 1,900 Permanent Residents (PRs). The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) does not track the number of platform workers undertaking food delivery specifically, as platform workers have the flexibility to undertake different types of delivery jobs, such as food or parcel delivery or both. Only Singaporeans and PRs can be platform workers, as MOM does not issue Work Passes for foreigners in this sector. MOM will take enforcement action against any foreigners found working illegally as platform workers, and the local platform workers who abet them.
While platform operators can legitimately outsource jobs to third-party logistics companies who may hire foreigners with valid Work Passes, the number of foreigners is capped at the industry's dependency ratio ceiling. These foreigners are not platform workers and can only work for a single employer under an employer-employee relationship. They are also paid a fixed monthly salary by their parent company and are not remunerated on a per-job basis by the platform operator.
The Government will continue to work closely with platform work associations, tripartite partners, and platform operators to support the well-being and livelihoods of our platform workers. As part of the Platform Workers Trilateral Group's recommendations, food delivery platform operators that outsource jobs have agreed to (a) provide more clarity and assurance to platform workers on their outsourcing practices; (b) encourage platform workers to head to high demand areas to reduce the need to outsource jobs; and (c) require outsourced companies to submit foreign workers' Work Pass documentation and conduct audits where work is outsourced through their app.