Debated in Parliament on 13 Sep 2021.
Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Manpower with the announcement of the pilot programme to bring in more foreign domestic workers, whether the Ministry will consider allowing a greater number of foreign domestic workers to enter Singapore so as to meet the many urgent caregiving needs of those looking after the elderly, those with disabilities and the very young.
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the number of migrant domestic worker (MDW) entry approvals in each month over the last 12 months; (b) what is the current number of outstanding MDW applications that have been granted in-principle approval but have yet to enter Singapore; (c) what is the average duration from the point of application for a MDW to the point of entry into Singapore; and (d) whether Singapore’s transition to a COVID-19 endemic status will have an impact on the number of entry approvals granted.
From September 2020 to April 2021, an average of about 3,300 migrant domestic workers (MDWs) entered Singapore per month. With the increase in number of COVID-19 cases and emergence of COVID-19 variants locally and globally this year, the Government had to tighten the entry approvals so as to reduce the risk of COVID-19 importation. From May to August this year, the average number of MDWs that entered Singapore was about 800 per month.
MOM is currently prioritising the entry of MDWs for families with very challenging caregiving needs and progressively scheduling the entry of those who had their entry approvals postponed earlier. We are aware that many employers are still waiting to bring in their MDWs. When the COVID-19 situation improves in the countries where the MDWs are from, we will be able to allow more to enter Singapore. Our priority remains for the risk of COVID-19 importation to be well managed to protect our public health and safety of the families that MDWs are deployed to.
Meanwhile, to meet the demand for MDWs, the Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore) started a pilot programme in July 2021. 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) also 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 keeping the risk of importing COVID-19 small, more MDWs will be able to enter Singapore under this arrangement.
Singapore’s vaccination coverage has allowed us to ease some community measures and take steps towards further opening up our economy. However, we must open our borders carefully and take into consideration countries or regions that have controlled the pandemic well and also vaccinated large parts of their population and adjust our measures accordingly. In our transition to an endemic status, adjustments may also be necessary as protection conferred by vaccines may wane with time and new COVID-19 variants may emerge that may be resistant to our current vaccines. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and do our best to facilitate the entry of MDWs in a safe manner.
PAPERCUTS