Ensuring Decent Work in Singapore's Domestic Work Industry

Abstract

It is widely acknowledged that foreign domestic workers play an increasingly significant role in plugging social reproductive gaps in the areas of housework, childcare, and eldercare amongst many industrialised economies in East and Southeast Asia. This dependency is particularly acute in Singapore where one in five households employs a live-in domestic worker. Despite this growing trend, the industry remains largely unregulated where domestic work is still perceived as informal work within the private sphere of the household, and hence excluded from key labour rights and protections. This briefing presents main findings from a research study that examines the costs and benefits of migration amongst Indonesian domestic workers in Singapore, whilst proposing recommendations for enhancing the existing regulatory framework concerning employment and hiring practices in the domestic work industry.