Singapore — On Tuesday (Nov 2) Minister of State for Manpower Gan Siow Huang said in Parliament that an ongoing programme facilitating the entrance of domestic helpers from other countries has been expanded to India.
In July, Ms Gan wrote in a Facebook post that decreasing the number of domestic helpers allowed into Singapore in May of this year “had inadvertently affected some of our families, in particular those with urgent caregiving needs” and added that she “held out hope that we would be able to restore inflow of migrant domestic workers as the COVID-19 situation stabilised.”
She announced on July 15 that a new pilot programme headed by the Association of Employment Agencies Singapore (AEAS Singapore) would allow for the entrance of more domestic helpers, after a period of limiting their number to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
The programme would start by allowing helpers from Indonesia and the Philippines, she added then.
However, the high demand for their entry approvals remains, Ms Gan said in Parliament on Nov 2.
She added that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) would continue to prioritise families whose caregiving needs are urgent. These normally include households with elderly or ill relatives, or young children, and now, even families with healthcare workers so that they can concentrate on their work.
There has been a considerable drop in the number of domestic workers allowed to enter Singapore in the past six months. From January to April of this year, an average of 3,400 helpers each month were able to enter the country. But when curbs tightened due to the pandemic, this number dwindled to 900 per month.
“We are committed to continue 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 told the House.
And for families who wish to fast-track hiring a helper, she said that they can consider AEAS’ programme, which facilitates the transfer of helpers in other countries who already have the relevant documentation.
Helpers under this scheme may arrive in Singapore within one month.
Over 1,000 new helpers under AEAS’ programme have been able to enter Singapore from the Philippines, Indonesia, and Myanmar as of the end of October.
The programme, to which almost 70 employment agencies have signed up, requires helpers to be subject to several Covid-19 tests within a 14-day period at isolation facilities in their countries of origin before they are allowed to fly to Singapore.
Once they arrive, they will observe another 14-day stay-home notice (SHN) as well as additional Covid tests and safety management measures.
Households who wish to employ the domestic workers under the programme will be asked to pay for their tests in their home countries, as well as their onboarding. /TISG
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