Debated in Parliament on 24 Sep 2025.
Ms Eileen Chong Pei Shan asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry has conducted surveys on recruitment fees paid by work permit holders in Singapore and in their home countries; (b) if so, whether the Ministry will release its findings with breakdowns by (i) country of origin (ii) sector and (iii) gender; and (c) if not, whether the Ministry will consider conducting such surveys in the near future.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) conducts ad hoc surveys on the total recruitment fees paid by work permit holders. Among first-time non-domestic work permit holders who indicated paying recruitment fees, the typical total recruitment fees in 2024 by sector are as follows: (a) construction sector: between $1,000 and $7,800; (b) marine shipyard sector: between $1,200 and $4,800; (c) process sector: between $600 and $7,200; (d) manufacturing sector: between $1,500 and $7,400; and (e) services sector: between $900 and $7,100.
The typical fees by gender are as follows: (a) males: between $1,000 and $7,200; and (b) females: between $300 and $5,600.
MOM does not publicly disclose data broken down by nationality, in view of sensitivities bilaterally and among different communities in Singapore.
PAPERCUTS