Employers hiring transferred migrant domestic helpers (MDW) should share costs of the workers’ Stay-Home Notice (SHN) stays at a dedicated facility as well as expenses related to their COVID-19 tests, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Wednesday (8 Sep).
While most MDWs settle in well and complete their term of employment, there are instances where the employment contract is terminated prematurely, either at the employer’s initiative or on the MDW’s request to transfer to another employer. The employer would have incurred upfront SHN-related costs in these situations.
If the change of employers occurs within 12 months, the new employer should share a portion of the SHN and related COVID-19 tests costs incurred by the current employer for the MDW’s entry into Singapore, MOM recommended.
Employment agencies should also assist the current and prospective employer in coming to an agreement for the sharing of costs, the ministry added.
MOM said that the SHN and related COVID-19 tests costs can be shared only if:
(a) the MDW is transferred within 12 months after she completes her SHN;
(b) the current employer does not receive more than what he/she had paid for the costs of SHN and related COVID-19 tests; and
(c) both the current and new employers sign a written agreement on the amount of costs shared.
The current employer should bear the costs proportionate to the duration that the MDW has worked for the said employer within the 12-month period, said the ministry.
Employment agencies will be required to inform both current and prospective employers regarding MOM’s cost sharing criteria and guidelines to facilitate the transfer process, MOM added.
The criteria outlined by MOM on sharing costs can be found here.
