Written Answer to PQ on MDW security bond forfeiture

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1259 OF 2026 FOR THE SITTING ON OR AFTER 10 SEPTEMBER 2026
QUESTION NO. 1997 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis

To ask the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) how many Migrant Domestic Workers (MDWs) security bond forfeiture cases are there annually since 2021; (b) what is the number of cases involving absconding MDWs and the proportion of employers who filed police reports and had their bond fully or partly forfeited despite reasonable efforts to track their MDW; and (c) whether financial support will be considered for employers facing hardship from the unilateral abscondment.

Answer:

The security bond serves to ensure that employers remain responsible for the upkeep and repatriation of Migrant Domestic Workers (MDWs).

2. From 2021 to 2025, there were a total of 45 cases of Migrant Domestic Worker (MDW) security bond forfeiture, or 9 cases per year on average. Of the 45 cases, 15 cases involved MDWs who went missing. For all 15 cases, employers had half of the $5,000 security bond forfeited ($2,500), in recognition that they had made reasonable efforts to locate their MDWs.

3. The Ministry of Manpower does not have plans to provide financial support employers in fulfilling their security bond liabilities.