Repatriation Costs for Foreign Domestic Workers and Work Permit Holders Who Leave after First Month of Employment

Mr Sharael Taha asked the Minister for Manpower (a) over the past five years, how many foreign domestic workers and work permit workers left their employment within the first month of employment in Singapore; (b) what percentage of these workers left on their own accord; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider the cost of repatriating these workers to be borne by the workers themselves instead of the employers or businesses.

Over the past five years, an average of about 9,600 work permit holders, including migrant workers and migrant domestic workers (MDWs), had their employment terminated within the first month of employment and returned to their home country each year. This constitutes about 2.5% of all new work permit holders who entered Singapore each year.

While the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) does not collect comprehensive data on whether work permit holders left employment on their own accord, we understand that some work permit holders may end their employment shortly after starting work in Singapore. This could be due to unforeseen circumstances, such as changes in their family situation back home, or unanticipated challenges in adjusting to the new work environment in Singapore. Such a decision would not have been taken lightly as the work permit holders would have incurred financial costs and made sacrifices to leave their home country to work in Singapore. In situations where the work permit holders request to end their employment early, employers can approach their employment agencies for assistance to facilitate open communication with their workers to understand the concerns, and discuss options to resolve the issues amicably.

Regardless of how or when the employment relationship ends, employers are responsible for the cost of repatriating their work permit holders. This is to avoid a situation where the work permit holders, upon termination of their employment, are left stranded in Singapore without the means to return home. MOM has no plans to shift the cost of repatriation to the work permit holders.