Direct employment relationship provides clear lines of responsibility for MDW employers

We refer to Mr Lin’s letter (“Foreign domestic worker system needs reform, 20 Dec 2025”) which proposes for licensed employment agencies rather than households to be the legal employers of migrant domestic workers (MDWs).

Under the existing Household Services Scheme (HSS), households which require part-time or occasional help with domestic services such as home cleaning, grocery shopping and basic child or elder-minding can already engage the services of HSS companies. Under the scheme, companies assume responsibility as the legal employers of MDWs.

Households which require the services of a live-in MDW may choose to engage them directly as employers. In doing so, they would have to bear the legal responsibility as employers, including for compliance with employment laws, work permit conditions, and duty of care obligations. This arrangement provides clear lines of responsibility and accountability that benefit both households and MDWs. For instance, families have direct control over employment decisions and can address issues immediately, while MDWs can communicate any concerns directly with their household employers.

Our current system gives households the flexibility to choose between hiring MDWs directly or engaging HSS services based on their needs and preferences, while balancing and calibrating their legal responsibilities accordingly. The two options are not mutually exclusive and employers of MDWs can also engage additional domestic services under the HSS scheme.

Employers are encouraged to communicate regularly with their MDWs to foster mutual understanding and support the latter’s well-being. We also encourage employers to discuss their specific household needs and expectations in detail with the employment agency when sourcing for MDWs.

Doris Kuek
Director, Foreign Manpower Management Policy
Workplace Policy and Strategy Division
Ministry of Manpower

Migrant domestic worker system needs reform, 20 Dec 2025, Lianhe Zaobao

Tens of thousands of families in Singapore rely on MDWs to care for children, look after the elderly, and manage household chores. However, under the current system, employers bear both legal and managerial responsibilities. This model is not ideal for either party and has increasingly fallen out of step with the needs of modern society.

For families, if a helper performs poorly, communication breaks down, cultural differences lead to friction, or if the helper leaves prematurely, households are often caught unprepared. For helpers, risks such as excessive workloads, a lack of oversight mechanisms, and even improper treatment persist, yet they lack sufficient institutional support.

I propose that licensed employment agencies become the legal employers of MDWs, with families engaging helpers through a service-subscription model, while MOM provides regulatory oversight and policy guidance. This would offer helpers multiple layers of protection: systematic training and professional supervision to enhance safety and career security; clear contracts and institutional management to reduce the risk of mistreatment; and mediation and replacement mechanisms so they are not left to cope alone when problems arise.

For families, the benefits are equally clear: they would no longer need to shoulder complex human resources, legal, and management responsibilities; agencies could provide temporary or replacement helpers to ensure household continuity; and disputes would be handled by professionals, greatly reducing stress and making services more stable and reliable, thereby improving overall quality of life.

The MDW system, which has been in place for decades, can no longer meet the changes in family structures and the labour environment. Shifting employment responsibility to professional agencies would genuinely protect helpers, ease the burden on families, and achieve a win-win outcome.

This is an urgent and necessary opportunity for reform: to make family life more manageable and to provide helpers with a safe, fair, and professional working environment. The current system is no longer sustainable. This is not merely a policy adjustment but a responsibility society must shoulder.

Lin Tianbao (Transliteration)