Do you know how much it costs to recruit a foreign domestic worker (FDW) and then deploy her to a home in Singapore?
Amounts vary among employment agencies, said the Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE). It is now advocating for more transparent costing in this area, according to a statement it issued on 29 October 2016.
“There is a lack of clarity on what employers and foreign domestic workers are paying for. Most of them are not aware of the actual overseas costs and fees for services rendered by the respective government agencies and employment agencies,” said CDE.
The Current Scenario
There about 237,000 foreign domestic workers in Singapore, and many of them come from Indonesia, the Philippines and Myanmar.
From its interactions with foreign domestic workers, employers and employment agencies, CDE found that the cost to recruit and deploy foreign domestic workers can run into thousands of dollars.
For an Indonesian maid, this can range from $3,800 to $5,800, and for Filipinos, from $3,100 to $4,600. These amounts are made up of three components: the foreign agent’s cost, the local agent’s cost of bringing the FDW to Singapore, and government charges.
The Way Forward
CDE has started engaging the associations of employment agencies after it made visits to Indonesia and the Philippines early this year.
The associations in principle support CDE’s call for a template for a breakdown of the costs for both the worker and the employer said its Executive Director (Strategy), Shamsul Kamar.
A work group made up of industry players including the two largest associations, the Association of Employment Agencies and the Singapore Accredited Employment Agencies Association, has also been formed to work on itemised billing.
According to CDE, a breakdown of the costs involved will determine whether they are fair or if they should be reduced and whether the various costs should be borne by the employers or the foreign domestic workers.
Source: NTUC This week
