Paid Annual Home Leave for Foreign Domestic Workers
Ministry of ManpowerSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang’s inquiry on whether the government will mandate paid annual home leave for foreign domestic workers (FDWs). Minister Lim Swee Say responded that such arrangements are currently mutually agreed upon, with 56% of FDWs receiving leave annually or upon contract renewal. He stated that making it compulsory is impractical as households lack staff pools for coverage and some workers prefer higher pay in lieu of leave. The current policy provides flexibility for varied household needs while ensuring worker well-being through monitoring by the Ministry and non-governmental organisations. Therefore, the Ministry maintains its approach of allowing leave to be negotiated within employment contracts rather than enforcing it as a mandatory requirement.
Transcript
58 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will consider making it mandatory for employers to provide paid annual home leave to foreign domestic workers (FDWs).
Mr Lim Swee Say: Home leave arrangements, like those for rest days, are mutually agreed between FDWs and employers. In MOM's FDW Study 2015, 56% of FDWs said they were provided with home leave either annually or at the point of renewal of their work passes. In addition, some employers also grant additional compassionate leave to their FDWs to deal with issues arising from unforeseen family circumstances back home.
Making annual home leave compulsory for all may not be practical given that households have very different needs and home care arrangements. Unlike companies that have a pool of employees to cover for those on leave, household employers typically employ only one FDW and will have to make significant adjustments to look for alternative arrangements when FDWs go on home leave. At the same time, some FDWs might prefer to be paid more in lieu of annual home leave. As such, the current approach provides greater flexibility for both FDWs and employers to mutually agree to leave arrangements as part of the employment contracts.
Whatever the arrangements, employers are expected to ensure the well-being of their FDWs throughout their stay in Singapore. In addition, MOM and Non-Governmental Organisations like the Centre for Domestic Employees also actively reach out to FDWs to check on their well-being and that they are well adjusted to working in Singapore.