NOTICE PAPER NO. 652 OF 2021 FOR THE SITTING ON 13 SEPTEMBER

QUESTION NO. 1055 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong

To ask the Minister for Manpower given the gradual easing of COVID-19 measures, what are some of the Ministry’s upcoming efforts to ease the movement of foreign domestic workers into Singapore.

Answer

As updated in Parliament in July, MOM is progressively scheduling the entry of migrant domestic workers (MDWs) who had their approved arrival dates postponed previously to reduce the risk of COVID-19 importation. The entry approval quota set by Multi-Ministry Task Force takes into account several factors, including the COVID-19 situation locally and abroad.

The Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore) started a pilot programme in July 2021 to facilitate the entry of migrant domestic workers (MDWs) while minimising the risk of importing COVID-19. Under this commercial initiative, the AEA(S) works with its overseas business partners to implement additional safe management measures prior to the MDWs’ entry into Singapore. The AEA(S) gives priority to households with caregiving needs to participate in the pilot programme.

The pilot is still ongoing, and is conducted on a small scale so the industry can better manage the risks involved, identify areas for improvement, and make refinements to the processes.

As it has only been slightly more than a month since the start of the pilot programme, more time is needed by the industry to assess whether the programme can be scaled up to facilitate the entry of more MDWs. MOM is monitoring the results closely. If the pilot proves effective in reducing the risk of importing COVID-19, more MDWs will be able to enter Singapore under this arrangement.