Employment Data Made Available to Maid Bosses

Employment Data Made Available to Maid Bosses
- The Straits Times, 27 November 2007

Please refer to Ms Jean Leo's letter, “Problem maids had 8 employers in two years” (Straits Times, 21 Nov 2007).

2.   Since November 2006, employment agencies (EA) have been required under the EA Licensing Conditions to provide prospective employers with the past employment periods of foreign domestic workers (FDW) in Singapore. FDW employers who hire FDWs directly may also obtain such information from the Work Permit Online system. With this information, employers can decide for themselves if they wish to hire an FDW who has frequently changed employers.

3.   The Ministry has contacted Ms Leo and will investigate the EA for possible breach of the EA conditions.

Problem Maid Had 8 Employers in Two Years
- The Straits Times, 21 November 2007

I hired a 40-year-old Filipino maid in June. She was good initially but in her second month she shouted at my Indonesian maid of four years over trivial matters.

Subsequently, she also shouted at me and my mother-in-law and argued at the top of her voice. One day, she hit my son.

After we sent her home, I had a shock when I went onto the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) website to check her employment history: she had eight employers in two years; I was No. 8. She had claimed she worked for her last employer for four years.

Why does MOM allow maids with bad employment history to continue to work in Singapore?