Employers Advised To Plan For More Sustainable Housing Options For Their Workers Usually Housed In Malaysia

1. Malaysia has announced that its Movement Control Order (MCO) will be extended to 14 April 2020. As a result, workers usually housed in Malaysia will be affected. Given the uncertainty over border controls, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) strongly encourages all affected employers to look for more sustainable housing options in Singapore for these workers.
2. Over the past week, MOM, MND, HDB, MTI, and STB have helped to facilitate accommodation for affected workers. As a whole, the Government has helped around 2,000 firms with their requests for accommodation for over 10,000 affected workers. Other firms have made their own arrangements to accommodate affected workers.
3. Since then, MOM has been following up with employers to ensure that their affected workers are housed in temporary housing that is safe and appropriate.
4. MOM will now embark on the next phase, which is to work with employers to facilitate the transfer of their affected workers into more sustainable housing options in Singapore.
5. Employers who require more sustainable housing options can refer to MOM website at https://www.mom.gov.sg/covid-19/available-accommodation or contact MOM at mom_qops@mom.gov.sg.
   
   TEMPORARY HOUSING SUPPORT WILL NOT BE EXTENDED BEYOND 31 MARCH
6. MOM previously announced that it would provide temporary housing support to help employers defray the additional costs of housing affected workers, as a result of the MCO implemented on 18 March.
7. MOM will not be extending the temporary housing support beyond 31 March 2020. For their own long-term sustainability and business continuity reasons, employers will need to decide on how best to house their affected workers in Singapore, and the sharing of additional costs with their workers.
8. For further clarifications or assistance, please contact:
   
   Ministry of Manpower
   Online Enquiry: www.mom.gov.sg/feedback
   Website: www.mom.gov.sg