SINGAPORE: An initiative by Singapore's Association of Employment Agencies (Aeas) that helps with the transfer of domestic workers with relevant documentation overseas will be expanded to allow migrant domestic workers from India, Parliament was told on Tuesday.
The Aeas initiative has facilitated the entry of more than 1,000 migrant domestic workers (MDWs) from the Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar, given the increasing demand for maids from Singapore households.
Citing high demand for MDW entry approvals, Minister of State for Manpower Gan Siow Huang said her Ministry will continue to prioritise families with caregiving needs.
More MDWs will be able to enter Singapore in the coming months if the Covid-19 situation continues to stabilise locally and regionally, she said.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will also help to facilitate the entry of MDWs for households with healthcare workers, so the front-line workers can better focus on their work.
Gan revealed that from May this year to last month, an average of 900 MDWs entered Singapore monthly, as entry approvals for such workers had been tightened since May to manage Covid-19 importation risks or infected people arriving in the city-state.
This compares with an average of 3,400 MDWs each month from January to April this year.
Responding to a parliamentarian question on expected figures, Gan said several thousand such workers are waiting to enter Singapore over the next three months.
"But I think the more important point is how we are able to gradually increase the entry of MDWs while protecting public health in Singapore," The Straits Times quoted Gan as saying in the house.
"We are committed to continuing to look at increasing the entry approval quota together with our MTF (the multi-ministry task force handling Covid-19) colleagues so that we can clear as many MDWs to come in as possible for the next three months."
She said these workers can be onboarded within a week or two, and arrive in Singapore within a month.
The fees charged vary across employment agencies, service providers and the home countries of the MDWs, according to the Singapore daily report.
Households with financial difficulties can apply for a waiver of costs of local Covid-19 tests and stay-home notice dedicated facility accommodation for newly arrived MDWs in Singapore.
Gan noted that, while only a limited number of MDWs have entered Singapore over the past months, the number of MDW transfers has remained stable.
The average monthly salary of transfer MDWs was SGD630 last year and has increased to SGD660 as of September this year.
Noting that the past months have been challenging for families waiting for the entry of MDWs, Gan said, "We will continuously review the entry approval quotas together with the MTF, with a view to fulfil the needs of families as quickly as possible."