Improving Migration Outcomes for Migrant Workers

Singapore hosts a large population of migrant workers. These people migrate in hopes providing a better future for their family. Often their dreams are simply to support their kids’ education, pay medical bills for their parents, or to be able to return home in a few years and live a simple and comfortable life with their family. In June 2019, the Ministry of Manpower states there are 1.39 million foreign workers in Singapore – the highest count ever in the last 5 years.

A mutual relationship, these workers depend on potential employers in Singapore for jobs and we as employers depend on them for their labour and skills. Yet, often the power dynamics aren’t in favour of the employees. Many of them are at risk of repatriation if they rile their employers. Even if they land up in exploitative working conditions or are abused by their employers, workers keep silent and continue working because of the debt they have incurred to land the job. Many take up loans in order to pay the exorbitant recruitment fees charged by agents.

In Singapore, HAGAR has been working with the Singapore Government to provide victim support to trafficking survivors and in recent 3 years, assisting foreign domestic workers who have been exploited by their employers. In helping them to recover from the trauma of abuse, and empowering these abused migrant workers to live a fulfilling life, we work to restore their self-worth, improving their personal resilience and essential skills. Apart from English and digital literacy and economic skills training, the need for life skills has become increasingly important in helping these workers navigate through life.

There are more than 70 million international migrant workers working in Asia, remitting home over US$288 billion in 2019. Recognising the potential enormous contribution to economic and social development that migrant workers could possibly make with improved core skills, lifting themselves and their families out of poverty, the Macquarie Group Foundation is fully committed to helping migrant workers in Singapore and Asia achieve more successful migration outcomes.

This year, HAGAR is extremely privileged to receive financial support from Macquarie Group Foundation to develop a fully dedicated and customised life skills programme to enable migrant workers in Singapore to live a productive life. The key aims are to empower them with the means and skills to make better migration decisions, gain more skills and qualifications, foster healthy relationships in cross-cultural environments, receive improved access to fair working and living conditions, and obtain better prospects than before they migrated.

As we go into a brand new year in 2020, we are thankful for the vital funding resource through Macquarie Group Foundation and are eager to see the fruits of this partnership in the lives of those whom we serve.