Measures to Facilitate and Expedite Entry of Migrant Domestic Workers to Meet Demand

13 Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Minister for Manpower (a) from January to August 2021, what is the number of domestic helpers who were allowed entry into Singapore; and (b) whether the Ministry can provide an update on the pilot scheme to bring more migrant domestic workers to Singapore.

14 Dr Wan Rizal asked the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will consider prioritising approval of migrant domestic workers for households with healthcare workers so as to facilitate quality work-life balance amidst the pressures brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic.

15 Ms Mariam Jaafar asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the number of migrant domestic workers (MDWs) brought into Singapore under the Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore) pilot programme since it was introduced in July 2021 for the safe entry of MDWs; (b) what are the typical agency fees charged; and (c) what more can be done for the lower- and middle-income households who have urgent need for MDWs but may not be easily able to afford the fees involved for the programme.

16 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Manpower in view of the Government’s actions to halt or delay the entry of new migrant domestic workers (MDWs) into Singapore in the last few months due to the COVID-19 situation locally or abroad, whether the Government will consider any measures to temper any resulting increase of salaries for transfer MDWs caused by the delay of new MDWs into Singapore.

The Minister of State for Manpower (Ms Gan Siow Huang) (for the Minister for Manpower): Mr Speaker, with your permission, I would like to take Question Nos 13 to 16 by Mr Ang Wei Neng, Dr Wan Rizal, Ms Mariam Jaafar and Mr Dennis Tan together.

Mr Speaker: Yes, please.

Ms Gan Siow Huang: The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) recognises that there are still many families waiting for approval of their migrant domestic workers (MDWs) to enter Singapore. To manage COVID-19 importation risk, entry approvals for MDWs were tightened since May 2021, resulting in the number of MDWs entering Singapore being reduced from an average of 3,400 per month from January to April this year to 900 per month from May to October.

As the regional COVID-19 situation improves, MOM is able to give more entry approvals. From 15 October 2021 onwards, we have opened up new applications for the entry of fully-vaccinated MDWs for entry from 1 November and after. More MDWs will be able to enter Singapore in the coming months if the COVID-19 situation continues to stabilise locally and regionally.

Due to the high demand for entry, we will continue to prioritise families with caregiving needs for the entry approvals. We will also facilitate the entry of MDWs of households with healthcare workers so that the healthcare workers can better focus on their frontline work. For those employers who are not successful, they may wish to access the application portal by ICA in subsequent weeks as entry slots are periodically made available.

With more entry approvals in the coming months, the demand for transfer MDWs is expected to ease. Households that require MDWs urgently may wish to consider the commercial programme by Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore) or AEAS. MDWs who already possess documentation overseas can be on boarded onto the programme within a week and there are slots available. AEAS and its partner employment agencies will adjust the programme according to demand to compliment the entry of MDWs through the mainstream channel. As at end of October 2021, the AEAS initiative has facilitated the entry of more than 1,000 MDWs from the Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar.

Given feedback from employment agencies, AEAS will also be expanding the scheme to India. The fees charged vary across employment agencies, service providers and home countries of the MDWs. Households in financial difficulty can apply for a waiver of costs of local COVID-19 tests and local SHN dedicated facility accommodation for newly-arrived MDWs in Singapore.

While there has been a limited number of MDWs entering Singapore over the past months, the number of MDW transfers has remained stable. The average monthly salary of transfer MDW was $630 last year and has increased to $660 as of September 2021; so, about a monthly increase of $30.

The past months have been challenging for families waiting for the entry and arrival of the MDWs. We thank families for their patience. We will continuously review the entry approval quotas, together with the Multi-Ministry Task Force (MTF), with the view to fulfil the needs of families as quickly as possible.

Mr Speaker: Mr Ang Wei Neng.

Mr Ang Wei Neng (West Coast): Thank you, Speaker. I thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive reply. We are very thankful that MOM is able to increase the quota for MDWs. We know that many families are very anxious about getting their domestic workers to come to Singapore. We understand that the average is 900 per month from May to October. So, what is the number that MOM is expecting from November to maybe the next three months so that they can have better expectations?

Also, for the 1,000 MDWs that have been facilitated to come in through the commercial programme, what is the breakdown by country? Are there any challenges in a specific country where we find it more difficult to bring in the domestic workers to Singapore than other countries?

Ms Gan Siow Huang: I thank the Member for the questions. On the number of MDWs who are waiting to enter Singapore for the next three months, there are several thousands. But I think the more important point is how we are able to gradually increase the entry of MDWs while protecting public health in Singapore. As I have said earlier on, we are committed to continue to look at increasing the entry approval quota, together with our MTF colleagues, so that we can clear as many MDWs to come in as possible for the next three months.

For those employers who are unable to wait, who have very urgent needs for the MDWs to enter and are unable to get a slot on ICA's SafeTravel Portal for the next 60 days, they might want to consider the AEAS option, the commercial option. I was just looking at the information this morning, there are still slots available. In fact, MDWs overseas who have the documentation ready can be onboarded very quickly, within a week or two and can definitely arrive in Singapore within the month.

On the question about the different countries, I think we all know that the common countries that MDWs come from are Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar and India. Indonesia and Philippines, because of the demand, many of the households in Singapore prefer MDWs from these two countries. So, naturally, there are more MDWs that are waiting to enter Singapore from these two countries.

Fortunately, for the past few months, the bulk of the 900 per month who entered Singapore were from Indonesia as well as the Philippines. For Myanmar and India, we also know flights were affected by the Not-to-land (NTL) that was determined by MTF. This NTL has been lifted recently. So, we are also hopeful that employers will be able to bring in the MDWs from Myanmar and India for the next few months. Again, the AEAS option already extends to Myanmar and, soon, to India as well. We hope that employers will keep an open mind and opt for this scheme if they need the MDWs to come in urgently.

12.29 pm

Mr Speaker: Order. End of Question Time. The Clerk will now proceed to read the Orders of the day.

[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), Written Answers to Question Nos 19-24, 26-29, 31-39, 41, 45-58, 61, 63-71, 73-75 on the Order Paper are reproduced in the Appendix. Question Nos 17-18, 25, 30, 40, 42-44, 59-60, 62 and 72 have been postponed to the sitting of Parliament on 3 November 2021.]