1004 Written Answer by Minister for Manpower to PQ on Encouraging Transition towards Household Services Scheme for Families with Migrant Domestic Workers

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1378 OF 2022 FOR THE SITTING ON 4 OCT 2022

QUESTION NO. 2159 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang

To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry is studying the possibility of encouraging the transition towards the Household Services Scheme for more families who currently have a foreign domestic worker.

Answer:

Companies under the Household Services Scheme (HSS) deploy their workers to provide domestic services such as home cleaning and laundry to different households on a part-time basis. Since HSS became a permanent scheme in September 2021, interest from companies and households has grown sharply. The number of companies on the HSS increased by more than 75%, from 76 last year to 134 currently. Based on a market sensing poll, we estimate that HSS companies today serve more than 20,000 households, of which about 27% had formerly engaged migrant domestic workers (MDWs).

While households with heavier domestic and caregiving needs may still need MDWs, households with lighter needs may enjoy cost savings by engaging HSS services on a part-time basis instead. As announced at the Committee of Supply 2022, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will be broadening the scope of HSS to include basic child-minding and elder-minding services. This will encourage more households to consider engaging HSS services, instead of hiring MDWs. We will share more details in the coming months.