SINGAPORE: As demand grows for caregiving that caters to diverse needs, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Tuesday (Jan 13) that it will continue to expand care options while keeping them affordable and accessible.
"It takes a many-hands approach to create an ecosystem of support for (migrant domestic workers) and their employers," said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower Shawn Huang in parliament.
He added that MOM will continue to find ways to safeguard the interests of employers of domestic helpers while protecting the wellbeing of these workers.
Mr Huang was responding to Member of Parliament Yeo Wan Ling (PAP-Pasir Ris-Punggol), who filed an adjournment motion to enhance Singapore's care economy, in which she said maids are a "critical backbone".
The motion comes as more support for home-based care is set to roll out in 2026, in the form of higher Home Caregiving Grant monthly payouts and the island-wide mainstreaming of enhanced home personal care services.
The grant is designed to reduce caregiving costs, while the personal care services involve professionals helping seniors with daily activities and household chores.
In her speech, Ms Yeo, who is assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), made six proposals to strengthen Singapore's caregiving landscape by supporting the work of migrant domestic workers.
The MP’s proposals include expanding training to cover dialects and advanced care, raising agency standards, and offering maids better healthcare and mental health support.
She also called for more part-time care options and a fairer maid levy based on actual care needs, rather than just age.
“Caregiving is not a single chapter in life. It is a cycle. And holding that cycle together are more than 300,000 migrant domestic workers in Singapore today – up from about 250,000 just five years ago,” said Ms Yeo.
“They are not an add-on to our economy. They are the invisible workforce behind our workforce. When they function well, families work. When they fail, families can fall.”
Noting that there are more elderly Singaporeans requiring care as well as dual-income families without much support from extended family, Mr Huang said in his response that migrant domestic workers play an important role in supporting households with different caregiving needs.
“Their dedication to caring for the young and elderly in our homes are invaluable to many families in Singapore.”
In her speech, Ms Yeo said that the levy concession for migrant domestic workers is largely based on age, but caregiving is not.
Currently, households pay a S$60 (US$45) concessionary levy if they have a child under 16 years, a senior over 67 years or a person with disability who requires help with at least one activity of daily living. The normal levy is S$300.
"There are gaps in the current levy framework," said Ms Yeo, urging MOM to review the eligibility criteria "to reflect real dependency, not just age".
She said the framework should include cases like early onset dementia, which is "supervision-intensive" but may not require help with activities of daily living; frail adults aged 60 to 66; "moderate dependency cases"; youths above 16 with special needs; and families with multiple dependents who need care.
In response, Mr Huang noted that around 72 per cent of households that hire maids already benefit from the levy concession.
He added that a person who needs assistance permanently to perform at least one activity of daily living would qualify for the levy concession.
"This includes persons with dementia or who have special needs, who may physically be able to perform the (activity of daily living), but require assistance or supervision to do so," he said.
He also pointed to the Home Caregiving Grant, which will see monthly payouts rise from S$400 to S$600 and a higher per capita household income eligibility threshold from April.
Ms Yeo called for changes to a training subsidy so maids are prepared for "real caregiving" and not only household chores.
"Care today is not just only about housekeeping. It is about dementia care, post-hospital recovery, disability support, child development, senior well-being," she said.
She asked MOM to expand the Caregivers Training Grant to include advanced home-based care and languages, particularly Mandarin, Malay, Hokkien, Cantonese and other dialects for eldercare.
Mr Huang responded that the Caregivers Training Grant was enhanced from S$200 to S$400 per year per care recipient from April 2024.
He said that the Agency for Integrated Care offers over 240 courses covering a range of skills, which address dementia, elder, disability and post-hospitalisation care.
He also said that caregivers can tap on language courses offered by other providers. These include NTUC's Centre for Domestic Employees, the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Cultural Academy, The Salvation Army and other non-profit organisations.
Ms Yeo further suggested extending to maids an outpatient primary care scheme, similar to that of non-domestic migrant workers, for more affordable primary healthcare.
Migrant domestic workers are not covered by a primary care plan and their mandatory insurance does not include outpatient care, which means they and their employers face high out-of-pocket costs for doctor visits, said the labour MP.
She said this could discourage early care-seeking and worsen health outcomes.
"Similarly, the current basic insurance of S$60,000 annual limit for hospitalisation of a (migrant domestic worker) might not cover more severe cases, leaving our employers responsible for the excess and payment," she said.
She asked MOM to consider getting employment agencies to be clearer about medical and hospitalisation responsibilities in their advisories to employers, and to mandate timely reviews of insurance coverage and co-payment levels as healthcare costs increase.
Mr Huang replied that MOM regularly reviews medical insurance policies for maids, and that when it raised the minimum annual claim limit to S$60,000 in 2023, this was significantly higher than the previous minimum of S$15,000.
He said the current mandatory coverage accounts for 99 per cent of inpatient and day surgery bills incurred by maids in public healthcare institutions.
Employers who prefer greater coverage or cost predictability can choose to purchase more comprehensive insurance plans with outpatient care, said the senior parliamentary secretary.
Ms Yeo also called on MOM to develop regulated part-time maid and home-care pathways, as a live-in maid might not work for every household.
"Building on schemes like the Household Services Scheme, could we pilot care-focused extensions – part-time carers who are properly trained and fairly contracted, or pooling arrangements where several families can share a trained worker on a regulated basis?" she asked.
"Such models could better serve working parents, those with intermittent caregiving needs, and families who cannot yet afford or require full-time live-in help."
The Household Services Scheme allows companies to hire more migrant workers for part-time domestic services like home cleaning, grocery shopping, car-washing and pet-sitting.
Selected companies can also hire more migrant workers to provide basic eldercare services.
Mr Huang said that since this scheme was formalised in 2021, the number of companies has increased from about 80 to 240 currently.
He said the government has been working with the caregiving industry to offer a wider range of full-time and part-time eldercare and domestic services.
He noted alternatives to live-in help that are in place, such as Shared Stay-in Senior Caregiving, where trained caregivers provide support to a group of seniors living in a common residence.
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"It takes a many-hands approach to create an ecosystem of support for (migrant domestic workers) and their employers," said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower Shawn Huang in parliament.
He added that MOM will continue to find ways to safeguard the interests of employers of domestic helpers while protecting the wellbeing of these workers.
Mr Huang was responding to Member of Parliament Yeo Wan Ling (PAP-Pasir Ris-Punggol), who filed an adjournment motion to enhance Singapore's care economy, in which she said maids are a "critical backbone".
The motion comes as more support for home-based care is set to roll out in 2026, in the form of higher Home Caregiving Grant monthly payouts and the island-wide mainstreaming of enhanced home personal care services.
The grant is designed to reduce caregiving costs, while the personal care services involve professionals helping seniors with daily activities and household chores.
In her speech, Ms Yeo, who is assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), made six proposals to strengthen Singapore's caregiving landscape by supporting the work of migrant domestic workers.
The MP’s proposals include expanding training to cover dialects and advanced care, raising agency standards, and offering maids better healthcare and mental health support.
She also called for more part-time care options and a fairer maid levy based on actual care needs, rather than just age.
“Caregiving is not a single chapter in life. It is a cycle. And holding that cycle together are more than 300,000 migrant domestic workers in Singapore today – up from about 250,000 just five years ago,” said Ms Yeo.
“They are not an add-on to our economy. They are the invisible workforce behind our workforce. When they function well, families work. When they fail, families can fall.”
Noting that there are more elderly Singaporeans requiring care as well as dual-income families without much support from extended family, Mr Huang said in his response that migrant domestic workers play an important role in supporting households with different caregiving needs.
“Their dedication to caring for the young and elderly in our homes are invaluable to many families in Singapore.”
Related:
AFFORDABILITY FOR EMPLOYERS
In her speech, Ms Yeo said that the levy concession for migrant domestic workers is largely based on age, but caregiving is not.
Currently, households pay a S$60 (US$45) concessionary levy if they have a child under 16 years, a senior over 67 years or a person with disability who requires help with at least one activity of daily living. The normal levy is S$300.
"There are gaps in the current levy framework," said Ms Yeo, urging MOM to review the eligibility criteria "to reflect real dependency, not just age".
She said the framework should include cases like early onset dementia, which is "supervision-intensive" but may not require help with activities of daily living; frail adults aged 60 to 66; "moderate dependency cases"; youths above 16 with special needs; and families with multiple dependents who need care.
In response, Mr Huang noted that around 72 per cent of households that hire maids already benefit from the levy concession.
He added that a person who needs assistance permanently to perform at least one activity of daily living would qualify for the levy concession.
"This includes persons with dementia or who have special needs, who may physically be able to perform the (activity of daily living), but require assistance or supervision to do so," he said.
He also pointed to the Home Caregiving Grant, which will see monthly payouts rise from S$400 to S$600 and a higher per capita household income eligibility threshold from April.
TRAINING FOR HOME CAREGIVERS
Ms Yeo called for changes to a training subsidy so maids are prepared for "real caregiving" and not only household chores.
"Care today is not just only about housekeeping. It is about dementia care, post-hospital recovery, disability support, child development, senior well-being," she said.
She asked MOM to expand the Caregivers Training Grant to include advanced home-based care and languages, particularly Mandarin, Malay, Hokkien, Cantonese and other dialects for eldercare.
Mr Huang responded that the Caregivers Training Grant was enhanced from S$200 to S$400 per year per care recipient from April 2024.
He said that the Agency for Integrated Care offers over 240 courses covering a range of skills, which address dementia, elder, disability and post-hospitalisation care.
He also said that caregivers can tap on language courses offered by other providers. These include NTUC's Centre for Domestic Employees, the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Cultural Academy, The Salvation Army and other non-profit organisations.
Related:
HEALTHCARE PROTECTIONS AND FLEXIBLE ARRANGEMENTS
Ms Yeo further suggested extending to maids an outpatient primary care scheme, similar to that of non-domestic migrant workers, for more affordable primary healthcare.
Migrant domestic workers are not covered by a primary care plan and their mandatory insurance does not include outpatient care, which means they and their employers face high out-of-pocket costs for doctor visits, said the labour MP.
She said this could discourage early care-seeking and worsen health outcomes.
"Similarly, the current basic insurance of S$60,000 annual limit for hospitalisation of a (migrant domestic worker) might not cover more severe cases, leaving our employers responsible for the excess and payment," she said.
She asked MOM to consider getting employment agencies to be clearer about medical and hospitalisation responsibilities in their advisories to employers, and to mandate timely reviews of insurance coverage and co-payment levels as healthcare costs increase.
Mr Huang replied that MOM regularly reviews medical insurance policies for maids, and that when it raised the minimum annual claim limit to S$60,000 in 2023, this was significantly higher than the previous minimum of S$15,000.
He said the current mandatory coverage accounts for 99 per cent of inpatient and day surgery bills incurred by maids in public healthcare institutions.
Employers who prefer greater coverage or cost predictability can choose to purchase more comprehensive insurance plans with outpatient care, said the senior parliamentary secretary.
Ms Yeo also called on MOM to develop regulated part-time maid and home-care pathways, as a live-in maid might not work for every household.
"Building on schemes like the Household Services Scheme, could we pilot care-focused extensions – part-time carers who are properly trained and fairly contracted, or pooling arrangements where several families can share a trained worker on a regulated basis?" she asked.
"Such models could better serve working parents, those with intermittent caregiving needs, and families who cannot yet afford or require full-time live-in help."
The Household Services Scheme allows companies to hire more migrant workers for part-time domestic services like home cleaning, grocery shopping, car-washing and pet-sitting.
Selected companies can also hire more migrant workers to provide basic eldercare services.
Mr Huang said that since this scheme was formalised in 2021, the number of companies has increased from about 80 to 240 currently.
He said the government has been working with the caregiving industry to offer a wider range of full-time and part-time eldercare and domestic services.
He noted alternatives to live-in help that are in place, such as Shared Stay-in Senior Caregiving, where trained caregivers provide support to a group of seniors living in a common residence.
Continue reading...