Coronavirus: New portal aims to address domestic helper shortage

It provides listings of maids in S'pore looking to switch households as supply dries up amid travel restrictions

The supply of new helpers has all but dried up amid travel restrictions sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic. PHOTO: ST FILE

Employers needing a new domestic worker to help with caregiving can turn to a new online portal set up yesterday by an association representing maid agencies here.

The mycaregiver.sg site will provide listings by agencies of maids looking to switch households.

Ms K. Jayaprema, president of the Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore), which runs the site, said more than 50 helpers listed their biodata on the site through seven agencies on the first day.

The effort comes as the supply of new helpers has all but dried up amid travel restrictions sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Singapore Accredited Employment Agencies Association (SAEAA) president Brian Tan said available helpers are mostly from the circulation within Singapore households.

Employers or employment agencies must get entry approval from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) before maids from overseas can enter Singapore, and MOM's website says the chances of approval are very slim. Maids must also serve a 14-day stay-home notice on arrival.

But agents said they are also having a hard time obtaining approval for maids working in Singapore to transfer to another employer, unless there are urgent caregiving needs.

MOM suggests that households with such needs consider alternatives such as childcare or student care centres for children and daycare centres for seniors.

Still, many households could find themselves in a situation like that of Madam Tan Su-hua, 42, a divorced mother of two who struggles with juggling housework and managing her children's home-based learning, on top of her job.

"I am trying my best to handle this but because of the circuit breaker measures, not having my mother around to help me manage the kids has made things quite difficult," said Madam Tan, whose two children are aged 13 and nine.

"It has been truly exhausting but I don't really have a choice. I have tried to get a domestic helper from various agencies but they said they won't be able to send anyone."

Meanwhile, expats Hwang Dong-hyun, 39, and his wife, 37, have had to let their Filipino domestic helper go, as they wish to move back to South Korea with their son, who turns eight this year. "We feel very sorry for our domestic helper, but we don't have a choice. I have found a new job and I'll be returning home, and we will be sending her back to the agency," Mr Hwang said.

  • >50

    Number of maids who listed their biodata yesterday on the mycaregiver.sg site, the new online portal set up by the Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore). It has listings by agencies representing maids looking to switch households.

Their helper, who gave her name as Alicia, told The Straits Times that she hopes she can be transferred to another employer, as her family relies on her income. "I hope I will not have to return home because I don't know what to do then," she said.

There were 255,800 maids employed here as of last June, mostly from the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, India and Sri Lanka.

Business for maid agencies, not deemed to be among the essential services allowed to keep their workplaces open during the month-long circuit breaker, has dwindled to almost nothing. Some say revenues have fallen by 80 per cent to 90 per cent.

Mr Stephen Chia of 21st Century Employment said business is down to "near zero", but he still has to pay rent and staff salaries. "If this drags on and agencies can't manage, the only way is to close shop," he said.

There are about 2,000 maid agencies registered here.

The SAEAA has sent MOM some suggestions on how to help the industry, such as extending the higher wage subsidy under the Jobs Support Scheme to maid agencies.

The scheme covers 75 per cent of the first $4,600 of gross monthly wages for this month for all local employees, and 25 per cent for eight more months. Tourism and aviation companies will receive a 75 per cent subsidy for all nine months of the scheme.

Mr Tan said: "We are also directly affected by the travel restrictions implemented by government policies."

SAEAA also suggested, among other things, that MOM enter into government-to-government agreements to allow potential maids to exit their respective countries, and extend rental waivers to the end of the year to ease the cost of maintaining retail shopfronts.

Ms Jayaprema said a large number of agencies may have to close if the travel restrictions drag on.

"Unlike food and beverage outlets which can reopen after the circuit breaker, we probably won't see helpers coming in for another one or two months," she said.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 18, 2020, with the headline Coronavirus: New portal aims to address domestic helper shortage. Subscribe