Data on Average Recruitment Fees Paid by Low-wage Migrant Workers

Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry collects data on the average recruitment fees paid by low-wage migrant workers; (b) if so, what are the average recruitment fees paid by such workers from (i) Bangladesh, (ii) India, (iii) China and (iv) the Philippines; and (c) how does this compare with the recruitment fees paid by comparable migrant workers working in other major migrant labour receiving countries.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) does not track the average recruitment fees paid by migrant workers, as the bulk of fees are incurred in their home countries and are difficult to ascertain. However, based on MOM’s ad hoc interviews with migrant workers conducted in 2019, they typically incur S$2,000 to S$10,000 in fees to work in Singapore. This depends on factors, such as the economic conditions and the extent of intermediary involvement in the recruitment process in their home countries.

We do not collect data on recruitment fees paid by comparable migrant workers working in other countries.