Each week, TODAY’s long-running Big Read series delves into the trends and issues that matter. This week, we look at the growing number of foreign domestic workers in Singapore, and the longstanding issues faced by them and the other stakeholders which could snowball into bigger problems if unchecked. This is a shortened version of the full feature,​ which can be found here.

SINGAPORE — In less than a decade, the number of foreign domestic workers (FDWs) here has spiked about 27 per cent — from about 201,000 in 2010 to 255,800 as of June this year.

Now, every fifth Singaporean household hire a maid. In 1990, the ratio was about one in 13, with about 50,000 maids here then.

Amid rising affluence, a prevalence of dual-income parents and a rapidly ageing population, Singapore families’ dependence on FDWs is set to increase even further.

TODAY’s interviews with all stakeholders — agents, maids and employers — showed that each side has its own set of long-standing grievances, even as new challenges, such as the rise of social media, complicate the equation.

In recent months, there have been signs that if left unchecked, the underlying issues could lead to more serious problems.

For example, the Government recently highlighted the sharp spike in the number of foreigners — with maids making up a substantial proportion — borrowing from licensed moneylenders, from 7,500 in the whole of 2016 to 53,000 in the first six months of 2019.

Under tightened regulations announced in July, foreigners, including maids, who earn less than S$10,000 can now borrow only up to S$500 – S$1,000 less than when the rule was first imposed in November 2018.

Then, there is also concern over the radicalisation of FDWs, albeit in small numbers so far. 

Experts including Dr Noor Huda Ismail, an Indonesian who is currently a visiting fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, noted that in most of these cases, the radicalisation process stemmed from the FDWs seeking companionship and ended up being indoctrinated by online boyfriends.

While FDWs have recently been in the headlines for the wrong reasons including theft and attempted poisoning, they are often also at the receiving end, with cases of maid abuse regularly heard in the courts such as the one involving a couple who subjected two domestic helpers to repeated violent physical and emotional abuse.

MAIDS’ CONCERNS — MONEY MATTERS AND PERSONAL FREEDOM

Money has been a cause of headaches for many maids here. Many leave their homelands in search of a better life for their families, but before they can make any gains, most of them know they must suffer financial hardship in the first few months at least. 

Almost all the maids TODAY spoke to knew they would have to pay placement fees – or “maid loans” – of about six to nine months. This is despite MOM’s law that allows Singapore agencies to deduct only two months of a worker’s pay for placement fees.

Many agencies here stressed that the rest of the placement fees are given to agencies in the maid’s native country, which cover pre-employment expenses such as the flight to Singapore, lodging, training and medical examination.

However, most of the maids interviewed did not know exactly what they were paying for. Among those who did, they felt that the training, food and lodging which they were given at the agencies back home were not worth the amount they paid.

For some maids, they also need to deal with abusive employers. 

Coming to a foreign land with modest finances and little English, Myanmar maid Chomden (not her real name) was abused by her employer merely three weeks after she started working. 

The memory of the abuse brought tears to her eyes as she told TODAY through a translator that she was slapped and beaten with kitchen utensils every other day for more than a month.

Chomden later told a friend about what happened, and the latter lodged a complaint to MOM, which launched an investigation. 

More than two years have passed and Chomden is still waiting for the case to be heard in court. She has been staying in a shelter run by non-governmental organisation (NGO) Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME). 

In response to TODAY’s queries on the incidence of such maid mistreatment cases, MOM said it “remained low” at an average of 40 cases annually between 2010 and the first half of this year. The cases comprise employers failing to pay salaries or not providing safe working conditions.

SMARTPHONES — A MAID’S ‘LIFELINE’  

Thousands of miles away from home and not being able to go out as much as they like, many maids have turned to the internet and social media as an important outlet for recreation and to stay connected with friends and families, as well as the outside world. 

They can video call their family, or post updates on social media applications such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, and Instagram. To cure their boredom, some of them have also turned to video-sharing applications like TikTok. 

On TikTok, it is quite common to see maids dancing or mouthing lyrics as they go about doing household chores such as feeding a baby or cooking. 

“Phones are the only (lifeline) of the helper,” said Filipino maid Florence Suyo, 39. “If the employers won’t allow their helper to hold the phone, you cannot get along with the helper because phones are the connection with the family.”

But maids here are not immune to the dangers lurking on the internet and social media. 

In particular, some maids’ quest for companionship online has seen them fall victim to scams and radicalisation.

‘TOUGH TO FIND A GOOD MAID’: EMPLOYERS

Based on MOM statistics, two in three maids do not complete their two-year contracts, with 250 employers changing maids five or more times within a year in 2018.

At first glance, the figures seemed to suggest that the employers here are too picky. But interviews with several employers who had changed maids several times within a short span presented a different story.

For example, a 31-year-old sales manager, who wanted to be known only as Ms Tan, said that she had encountered “all princesses” after her trusty Filipino maid of two years returned home when her contract ended in 2016.

The mother of three — who ended up changing seven maids within 1.5 years  — caught one helper on surveillance camera lying stretched out on her sofa and using her face mask while her family was away on holiday, even when she had been given tasks to complete.

Two other replacements were “tai-tais”, she said, including one who took taxis whenever she headed out. 

Some of these complaints are echoed in an online petition put up in July, asking MOM to “get tough” on errant FDWs and maid agencies, and enact laws to protect employers. 

Signed by more than 700 employers, the petition notes that maids are not penalised and do not have to bear any cost when they ask for transfers. 

“No wonder more and more FDWs (are) becoming increasingly brazen, demanding and bold in their demands,” says the petition, citing demands such as free Wi-Fi access, days-off during public holidays on top of weekly days-off, and private bedrooms.

EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES: THE BOGEYMAN 

On the issue of placement fees, Ms K Jeyaprema, who is the President of the Association of Employment Agencies, said that there are so many miscellaneous expenses in the process of bringing in maids to Singapore that it is difficult to keep track of every dollar and cent. 

While agencies are obliged to compile an itemised receipt, breaking down all expenses which the maid is paying for, she said that some agencies could be “massaging” some figures on vague-sounding components such as service fees.

To address this, MOM said it conducts regular audits on agencies to ensure compliance. Last year, the ministry took action against two errant agencies. The law provides for such agents to be fined up to S$5,000, jailed for up to six months, or both. 

MOM reiterated that the Employment Agencies Act states that agencies here cannot charge more than two months of a foreign worker’s salary, and no more than one month for each year of service as agency fees.
Agencies must also refund at least half of the agency fees collected from workers who are prematurely terminated within the first six months of employment.

As for the agencies’ accountability to employers, MOM had announced earlier this month that from October 2021, agencies will have to provide an option for a refund of at least half of the service fee charged to employers when the employment contract ends prematurely.

Further measures to improve poor maid retention rates include providing employers access to a maid’s employment records, such as her key job scope, residence type and household size, and reason for leaving her last employment. 

Mr John Gee, president of non-profit organisation Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), suggested that maids should be given access to similar records about their potential employers, including how many maids they have hired within a certain period of time.

MOVING FORWARD
 
While there is no silver bullet for the litany of issues in the industry, observers noted that much of the problems revolve around the live-in arrangement for maids. 

MOM has been piloting since 2017 a scheme allowing work permit holders, which include former full-time maids from countries such as India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand, to provide part-time domestic services instead.

Previously, only work-permit holders from Malaysia, China and other source countries in North Asia can be brought in as service workers who are deployed to multiple households and do not live in the households where they work.

Twenty-five cleaning companies are part of this scheme, including Helpling and @bsolute Cleaning.

Mr James Lim, Helpling’s Asia-Pacific managing director, said that the salary which FDWs make as part-time cleaners is at least 50 per cent higher than what they got as live-in maids. 

At @bsolute Cleaning, the part-time helpers are paid S$900 to S$1,000 a month. They will look for and pay for their own lodging but the firm provides them with a S$200 monthly subsidy for rent. They are also given S$300 for transport each month. Their working hours are generally from 8.30am to 6.30pm, with a two-hour break in between.

Myanmar national Phyo Phyo Ei, 35, a former live-in maid who now works as a part-time cleaner, had found out about the pilot scheme on Facebook. Her work now is “more relaxing” and does not require her to be “on standby 24/7”, she said.

However, the part-time arrangement would not meet the needs of families who require constant care for young children or elderly members of the household, for example. 

For many Singapore households, there remains a genuine need for live-in domestic help. And the number of such families is set to rise, given the demographic and social trends. This means that all stakeholders and policymakers would have their work cut out to resolve the longstanding issues.