SINGAPORE - He was offered a job in construction with a monthly pay of $1,600, and was shown an in-principle approval (IPA) letter reflecting this.But when he received his first pay cheque, Ahmed (not his real name) discovered that his basic wage was only about $200.For seven months, he continued…

SINGAPORE - Electricians have any number of high-tech tools at their disposal these days such as laser measurement devices but the whizzy gadgets still cannot replace skilled tradesmen. No matter how advanced equipment gets, most still require a trained operator and many of these roles are filled by foreign workers. Mr…

 Singapore would have been hard hit by a shortfall of at least 100,000 workers and 30,000 domestic workers if foreign workers had not been allowed to enter after the circuit breaker period last year, the Ministry of Manpower said on Tuesday (May 18).MOM said that the Republic would have had…

SINGAPORE - Singapore cannot afford to close its borders completely to foreign workers as its economy will be affected, warned the country's apex business chamber.Without access to sufficient manpower, there will also be "serious impact" on businesses and the livelihoods of Singaporeans, both in the immediate and longer terms, said…

SINGAPORE - About 15,000 firms in the construction, marine and process sectors will get higher foreign worker levy rebates between May and December, given the manpower shortages and increased costs brought about by Singapore's tightened border measures.The rebate for each worker will be increased from $90 to $250 per month, said…

SINGAPORE - Singapore has stopped accepting new entry applications for work pass holders from higher-risk countries or regions due to Covid-19 with immediate effect, except for workers needed for key strategic projects and infrastructural works.The Manpower Ministry on Friday (May 7) said it will also reschedule entry into Singapore from…

SINGAPORE - The conditions that foreign workers live under are once more the subject of debate - following two recent lorry accidents that left two dead and more than 20 injured.Ahead of the next Parliament session on May 10, Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC MP Alex Yam has filed questions for the Ministry of…

SINGAPORE - Plans to relax restrictions on the movements of foreign workers have been put on hold, given the recent dormitory cluster and surge in infections in some of the workers' home countries, Second Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng said on Sunday (May 2)."It's important because our responsibility is, first…

 SINGAPORE - Emergency legislation to address the severe disruption to the construction sector arising from curbs on the entry of migrant workers is in the works, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Saturday (May 1). It will be aimed at making the burden shared more fairly between the different parties –…

As a precautionary measure following the Westlite Woodlands Dormitory cluster, MOM's Assurance, Care and Engagement (ACE) Group, with the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Building Construction Authority (BCA) and the Economic Development Board (EDB), began pre-emptive COVID-19 testing operations across various dormitories and worksites last week. These tests are in addition to the…