Review on Projected Number of Migrant Domestic Workers Given COVID-19 Disruptions and Ageing Population

Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Manpower in view of the disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Singapore's ageing population (a) whether there is a need to review the projected number of migrant domestic workers (MDWs) for the next 10 years; and (b) what are the lessons learnt in terms of managing the supply of MDWs.

Mr Speaker, the demand for caregiving support is expected to increase as our population ages. By 2030, about one in five residents will be aged 65 and above. Employing migrant domestic workers (MDWs) is one of the caregiving options in the eldercare landscape, but other options are also being further developed. It is not a straightforward matter to project the number of MDWs as multiple considerations with regard to caregiving are also being deliberated and expanded on.

To meet the varied needs of seniors and their caregivers, the Government has a wide range of eldercare services, such as home personal and nursing care, day care and community rehabilitation services. MND, MOH and HDB are also piloting assisted living in the Community Care Apartments, which integrate senior-friendly design features with services that can be scaled according to needs. These options complement MDW- and family-caregiving. And to better support families with part-time domestic needs, MOM has also recently announced the expansion of the scope of the Household Services Scheme (HSS) to include basic elder-minding services, in addition to domestic cleaning services.

With these caregiving services further developed, families with caregiving needs will have more options and the growth of MDWs in Singapore may be moderated to some extent. Employers can hire MDWs from 13 approved countries today. As MDWs remain important to caregiving needs, MOM will encourage employment agencies as well as the employers to employ MDWs from diverse sources.

The Government will continue to monitor our population trends closely and regularly review our policies and plans to meet the caregiving needs of our population.