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Written Answer to PQ by Minister for Manpower Dr Tan See Leng on ensuring a stable and predictable supply of MDWs

Foreign manpower

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1260 OF 2021 FOR THE SITTING ON 1 NOVEMBER 2021
QUESTION NO. 1260 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Shawn Huang

To ask the Minister for Manpower what are the measures taken to ensure that there is a stable and predictable supply of migrant domestic workers to ensure that households are not unduly affected by rising costs due to a restrictive supply.

Answer

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) recognises that there are still many families waiting for approval for their MDWs to enter Singapore, after the temporary tightening of entry approvals for migrant domestic workers (MDWs) in May 2021.

2 As the regional COVID-19 situation improves, MOM is able to give more entry approvals and has scheduled the entries postponed in May. Most have entered Singapore, and the remaining are expected to enter Singapore by early November. From 15th October, we have opened up new applications for the entry of fully vaccinated MDWs, for entry from 1st November onwards. MOM hopes to approve the entry applications of more MDWs in the coming months and we hope this would benefit more families who have patiently waited.

3 Due to the high demand for entry approvals, we will continue to prioritise families with more urgent care needs. For those employers who are not successful in getting entry approvals within the immediate period, they may wish to access the portal in subsequent weeks for more entry approval slots. It may take a few months for most employers to obtain entry approvals for their MDWs. MOM recognises that the past months have been challenging for families. We thank employers for their patience.

4 MOM will also continue to facilitate the commercial programme by the Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore) (AEA(S))’s to bring in more MDWs safely to meet the demand. AEA(S)’ pilot has benefitted more than 1,000 families since its introduction. AEA(S) and its partner employment agencies will progressively expand the scheme according to demand.