About 90 employers penalised every year for not giving domestic workers mandatory day off: MOM
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Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said the “vast majority of employers” comply with the mandatory rest day policy.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
- About 90 employers annually face action since 2023 for denying MDWs their mandatory monthly rest day, introduced for worker well-being.
- Minister Tan noted most employers comply with the policy; penalties include up to $10,000 fine, a year's jail, or both.
- Around 64% of MDWs retain employment over six months. Agencies mediate expectation mismatches and communication issues; MOM monitors early cessations.
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SINGAPORE – Every year, about 90 employers are taken to task for not giving their domestic worker their mandatory monthly rest day.
This has been happening since the policy was introduced in 2023, which made it compulsory for all migrant domestic workers (MDWs) to have at least one rest day a month that cannot be compensated away.
Manpower Minister Tan See Leng gave this update on enforcement figures in a written parliamentary reply on May 5.
He did not elaborate on the penalties handed to these employers, but under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, the maximum punishment for contravening this requirement is a $10,000 fine, a year’s jail, or both.
Replying to Dr Hamid Razak (West Coast-Jurong West GRC), who had asked if the ministry had assessed the effectiveness of the policy, including its take-up rate, Dr Tan said the “vast majority of employers” comply with the mandatory rest day rule.
There were 316,900 MDWs in Singapore in 2025, up from 247,400 in 2020. Put in this perspective, less than 1 per cent of employers flout the rest day policy each year.
Dr Tan said the majority of employers provide more than one rest day a month for their MDWs.
According to the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) website, MDWs are entitled to one rest day per week. If the MDW agrees to work on the weekly rest day, employers must compensate her with at least one day’s salary.
But employers are not allowed to ask the domestic worker to work on the monthly mandatory rest day, even with compensation.
The mandatory rest day is part of MOM’s measures to allow migrant domestic workers to rest and recharge from work, as well as form networks of support outside the household.
The ministry currently has no plans to introduce further changes to the rest day policy, and will continue to monitor compliance and refine its policy measures where necessary, added Dr Tan.
In a separate written reply on May 5 about the employment stability of MDWs, Dr Tan said around 64 per cent of domestic workers have stayed with the same employer for at least six months. This average retention rate has held steady for the last five years, he added.
Dr Tan said: “Early cessations of MDW contracts are typically due to mismatches in expectations of the job scope and working conditions, and communication barriers between employers and MDWs.”
Employment agencies, the Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE) and various voluntary welfare organisations provide mediating support between the employer and the domestic worker, said Dr Tan.
He noted that CDE conducts two interviews for first-time MDWs in their first year of employment, and non-profit organisations offer basic training in English and Mandarin so domestic workers can better communicate with their employers.
“We will continue to monitor the trend of early cessations of MDW employment contracts, and review our measures if necessary,” Dr Tan said.
