450 foreigners caught working illegally in Singapore each year between 2020 and 2024
On average, 13 are prosecuted, four are fined and the rest are issued with warnings
[SINGAPORE] From 2020 to 2024, a yearly average of about 450 foreigners were found to have been working illegally without valid employment passes, said Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash in Parliament on Friday (Sep 26).
On average, 13 of these foreigners were prosecuted, four were fined and the rest were issued with warnings, as most of the cases involved a short duration of illegal employment.
“These foreigners were also repatriated and debarred from working in Singapore,” he said, in a reply to Member of Parliament (MP) for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC Elysa Chen.
In a supplementary question, Chen asked which sector had a greater prevalence of cases of working without valid passes. Dinesh said this was mainly in services and the construction sector, “which usually have a slightly higher number than the rest”.
Responding to another question by Chen about foreigners working illegally on wedding photoshoots, Dinesh said there was an annual average of two cases in 2021 to 2023.
The Ministry of Manpower has been working with the Visual, Audio, Creative Content Professionals Association to understand the situation, and acts on tip-offs as well, he added.
In a separate question, MP for Punggol GRC Yeo Wan Ling asked about illegal moonlighting by migrant domestic workers, and the Household Services Scheme (HSS) that allows companies to hire migrant workers for part-time domestic work.
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower Shawn Huang replied that between 2020 and 2024, an average of 12 migrant domestic workers and 15 employers were fined each year for moonlighting-related offences.
Since the HSS was formalised in 2021, the number of such companies has risen from around 80 to 240, he added. “Based on surveys, the number of households served by HSS companies has also increased steadily.”
Copyright SPH Media. All rights reserved.
