Singapore sees highest migrant worker satisfaction; 9 in 10 satisfied with working conditions: MOM survey
According to findings from MOM's Migrant Worker Experience Survey released on Thursday (Aug 21), 95.3 per cent of migrant workers in 2024 reported being satisfied with working and living in Singapore, up from 86.3 per cent in 2018.
This marks the highest satisfaction level recorded since the survey was first conducted in 2011.
Of those surveyed, 96.7 per cent indicated they intend to continue working with their current employer or return to Singapore in the future, up from 91.9 per cent in 2018.
MOM said this reflects continued confidence in Singapore as a preferred destination for work.
'We are encouraged by the high and rising levels of satisfaction among workers, as well as their continued trust in MOM's regulatory role,' said the ministry.
'The strong adoption of fair employment practices and high employer retention rates point to a well-functioning system.'
In line with the trend of improved sentiments, 92.3 per cent of migrant workers surveyed last year said they would recommend Singapore as a place to work, compared with 84 per cent in 2018.
The top five reasons cited were Singapore's safe working environment, which was highlighted by 84.4 per cent of respondents, followed by high salary (71.2 per cent), adequate worker protection (65.2 per cent), good living conditions (46 per cent), and stable jobs (44.1 per cent).
Of those surveyed, 97 per cent agreed that MOM had been effective in protecting them, with the same proportion reporting that their working conditions felt safe. Both indicators were up from around 87 per cent in 2018.
About 89.3 per cent of the migrant workers also found it easy to approach the ministry on employment-related matters, compared with 82.8 per cent in 2018.
Trust within the workplace appeared strong as well, with 99.5 per cent of respondents saying they would turn to their supervisor or employer in the event of a work injury.
'Through close collaboration among the government, employers, workers and stakeholders such as dormitory operators and non-governmental organisations, we have made significant improvements in migrant workers' well-being and continued to maintain a positive work environment for them,' said MOM.
'Our migrant workers play a vital role in building our nation, and their well-being remains a key priority for MOM,' added Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash.
The ministry also pointed out that strong regulatory framework and "progressive measures" have fostered trust and confidence in Singapore as a place of work.
Other findings from the survey also indicated nearly universal adoption of electronic salary payment, with 92 per cent of migrant workers receiving their pay directly into their bank accounts.
In addition, 88.5 per cent said they were provided with their preferred food arrangements - typically cooking their own meals or purchasing food from stalls - suggesting employers' responsiveness to workers' preferences.
With regards to the retention of personal documents, the proportion of migrant workers who kept their own passports increased from 38.8 per cent in 2018 to 68.4 per cent in 2024.
Among migrant workers who did not keep their own passports, 83.3 per cent reported in 2024 that their passports were returned to them upon request, up from 70.4 per cent in 2018.
FIRST MIGRANT WORKER EMPLOYER SURVEY
On Thursday, MOM also released findings from its inaugural Migrant Worker Employer Survey, which showed that employers generally reported positive sentiments towards their workers.
The ministry said that it conducted the survey to understand employers' perspectives on hiring and managing their migrant workforce.
Among the employers surveyed in 2024, 70.8 per cent expressed satisfaction with the quality of their migrant workers, while only 1.4 per cent reported dissatisfaction. The remaining 27.8 per cent were neutral.
In terms of retention, 75.2 per cent of employers said they had renewed the work permits of more than 80 per cent of their migrant workforce, indicating a stable employment relationship.
Employers were also proactive in retaining workers, with 88.8 per cent of those surveyed offering benefits to encourage workers to stay. Salary increments were the most frequently used method at 81.7 per cent.
Beyond mandatory requirements, 80.6 per cent of employers provided additional training to upskill their migrant workers.
This demonstrates "commitment to maintaining a skilled migrant workforce", MOM noted.
Many employers (81.7 per cent) also considered the mandatory medical insurance coverage stipulated by MOM to be sufficient.
Said Mr Dash: 'Our survey findings affirm the positive impact of ongoing efforts to uplift standards, enhance liveability and care for our migrant workers.
'We will continue to work closely with employers, dormitory operators and community partners to ensure that our workers can work in safe conditions and help create a home away from home.'
Survey methodology
The Migrant Worker Experience and Employer Survey 2024 was conducted by the Manpower Research and Statistics Department of the Ministry of Manpower
A total of 2,825 migrant workers and 2,212 employers were surveyed between October 2023 and February 2024 for the survey
The survey samples were selected randomly from sampling frames designed to reflect the population profiles of migrant workers and employers of migrant workers in Singapore
The survey on migrant workers was a self-administered survey in English or the native language of the respondent. In cases where the respondent requested for assistance to understand the question, the interviewers explained the questions to the respondent
For the survey on employers, respondents submitted their returns online, by post or via email, with clarifications made either over the phone or through email
AREAS OF CONCERN
Although sentiments among migrant workers and employers were generally positive, the survey findings indicated that access to skilled labour is an area that warrants closer attention.
MOM cited the 'growing difficulty' reported by employers in finding workers with the right skills.
While 47.5 per cent of employers surveyed felt they had good access to migrant workers overall, only 27.3 per cent said it was easy to find migrant workers with the relevant skills.
This suggests there is room for improvement to enable employers to hire higher-skilled workers, particularly in more specialised roles, MOM said.
Mr Dinesh added that the ministry is reviewing its Work Permit framework to give employers better access to higher-skilled migrant workers, which in turn would support the transformation towards a 'higher-quality' workforce.
The Manpower Ministry also said it will continue to work closely with key stakeholders to to 'improve workers' living conditions and support their well-being'.
'MOM's first built-and-owned Purpose-Built Dormitory, scheduled for completion in early 2026, reflects the higher standards MOM is working towards – with spaces designed for liveability and improved public health resilience.'
The Migrant Worker Experience and Employer Survey is part of MOM's ongoing efforts to better understand the experiences of migrant workers working and living in Singapore, as well as the employers' perspectives on hiring and managing their migrant workforce.
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They look like prayer beads worn to ward off negative energy and promote well-being. Except these are not made of gemstones, ceramic, or even wood or plastic. Instead, 10 to 20 per cent of each matte orb is ash; the very same gray powder you get after burning incense sticks. The rest? Traditional herbs such as Chinese angelica, fu ling and baiji, which would explain the discernible smell that you associate with Chinese medicinal halls. These Ben Yuan He Xiang beads are the latest brainchild of Base Genesis, a startup founded by Alex Teo, 37, and Chris Huang, 35, in 2023 to revitalise Chinese religious traditions. Like knowing how many incense sticks to hold or what paper offerings to burn during the Qingming Festival. Or what to buy for prayers at the temple or a funeral if your family is Taoist or Buddhist. Not only that, the duo is also making it their business to make religious practices such as burning incense sticks and paper offerings a little more eco-friendly. And the upcycled ash beads are just their latest offerings. 'ISN'T THIS A SUNSET INDUSTRY?' CNA Lifestyle met Teo and Huang in a Pandan Loop warehouse filled with bundles of colourful joss papers (or kim zua in Hokkien), shelves of heady incense sticks and lamp oils, and cardboard replicas of modern goods to satisfy a dearly departed's every afterlife need (yes, even the latest mobile phone model and skincare product). Teo, who is also the third-generation owner of Ban Kah Hiang Trading, a kim zua wholesale supply business that began as a humble shop in the 1950s by his grandfather, is no stranger to the scene. He'd help out in the family shop after school and on weekends and holidays. In 2016, he took over the reins and roped in Huang six years later. 'It's very difficult to find someone of my age to talk about this industry,' said Teo. 'For example, it was difficult to get my ex-colleagues to understand my ideas,' said the millennial father of four, who worked as a medical claims assessor for the Central Provident Fund Board for almost five years before his stint with Prudential Assurance. 'They'd say, isn't this a sunset industry? Still got people burn joss papers? Got customers meh?' Teo finally found a kindred mind in Huang, who is also now a millennial father, 15 years ago when they met at Zouk. 'We started to talk and have been talking till now!' said Teo, laughing. That initial friendship grew when Huang began ordering kim zua bundles from Teo for the fintech company he worked for. 'Alex would personally deliver my orders to me, so that was how the friendship deepened,' said Huang, who was a chief revenue officer then. 'The timing was just nice when he approached me to join him in 2022 because that was when the company I worked for got acquired.' MAKING BEADS OUT OF INCENSE ASH 'We liaised with a temple last year and discovered that it has difficulties handling the sheer volume of joss stick ashes generated,' said Huang. 'So I researched into how Singapore manages the ashes after burning the country's collective waste, and found out that we actually convert some of the ashes into bricks for construction.' That gave Huang the idea of making the Ben Yuan He Xiang beads with the temple's incense ashes. 'We sieve and mix the ashes with water to form a dough. Then, we press the dough into a mould to create the beads before drying them in the oven. It is all done by hand and the whole process takes about three days. I would say about 10g of ashes go into about 20 beads (they're each about 1cm wide) on every bracelet.' The ashes of burnt joss papers aren't included at the moment as 'we are still finding a way to eliminate the burnt odour', said Huang. As for the addition of herbs, he was inspired by the herb-filled fragrance pouches worn by the Chinese during the Song dynasty. 'It was like how we wear perfume now but better because of the healing and calming properties of the herbs, the Chinese version of aromatherapy,' he explained. The beads come in five colours – cream, grey, brown, pink and black – and are naturally derived from the herbs. 'Each bead colour represents one of the five elements: Metal, wood, water, fire and earth,' said Huang. 'We don't use artificial dyes at all, so you won't find vibrant colours like neon or Tiffany Blue.' He is also adamant about keeping other additives out – no fragrance to mask the medicinal smell of Chinese herbs, no plastic, no lacquer – which also means that while the beads are hardy, they can't be worn in the shower or sauna. But going by the response so far (Base Genesis sold 1,400 beads in the first week), Huang might be onto something. 'The bracelets are sold for S$108 each (regardless of the number of beads needed per bracelet) through livestream on TikTok,' he said. 'There are also customers who buy the beads to customise their own bracelets, necklaces and keychains.' The duo is exploring ways for more temples to be involved. 'We want to help more temples convert their ashes into beads, which they can then sell to their devotees as bracelets, necklaces or keychains,' said Teo. ECO-FRIENDLY HELL NOTES AND SMOKE-FREE JOSS STICKS The upcycled Ben Yuan He Xiang beads aren't Huang's and Teo's first foray into sustainability. Just last March, they created an ash-free and smoke-free eco hell note that you can burn for your ancestors during the Seventh Month Festival – the first of its kind in the world, according to Teo. The environmentally friendly hell notes take seconds to burn completely – way shorter than the duration you'd otherwise spend tossing pieces of traditional hell money into the burning bin at your HDB block – then spending even more time waiting for them to burn down completely to ensure 'delivery' to the netherworld. Another convenient feature of the hell note is you can burn it indoors. However, as the approval for such use in Singapore is pending with the Singapore Civil Defence Force, it is currently only sold to overseas customers. Nonetheless, Teo said that 'there is a lot of interest in environmentally friendly stuff', including the Ministry of National Development, which has sought feedback from Base Genesis in the redesign of the HDB burning bins through the Alliance Action on Norms for Joss Paper Burning. However, 'it is difficult to mass-produce the hell notes now because of the cost', said Huang. 'Ours is made in Singapore. We're working with China to see if we can find a more economic substitute for the paper.' The other hurdle is, the majority of customers isn't ready to spend more on the environmentally friendly version. 'Let's say we sell each piece of eco hell note at a cost price of S$20,' said Teo. 'But a regular 10-piece pack of traditional hell money only costs consumers S$3.' That aside, 'we also have to take into consideration the merchants', Teo continued. 'If everybody adopted the eco hell notes, who will buy these merchants' traditional goods?' For now, you can buy smoke-free and fragrance-free incense sticks from them. 'There are some charcoal components in them to make them smokeless,' explained Teo. Despite costing double the price of regular incense sticks (the regular ones go for S$4 per bundle), 'they are popular because most of our customers live in HDB flats and they don't want to smoke up their homes. They're also suitable for air-conditioned offices'. MAINTAINING TIME-HONOURED PRACTICES Teo and Huang maintained that their stance is not to disrupt time-honoured religious traditions and practices. Rather, they are looking into making them sustainable in the least disruptive and most respectful way. 'We're not here to change the practices or people's mentality,' said Teo. 'We still burn incense sticks but they don't create smoke. We still do all those traditional things but we're offering alternatives.' Will we eventually move away from burning joss sticks and papers? 'I think so,' said Teo after some thoughts. 'For now, burning eco hell notes is still more realistic than 'burning' virtual joss papers or incense on a mobile app.' Huang added: 'It matters to us that there's still a call to action, a meaning to it'.
