MOM to raise standards for around 1,000 migrant worker dormitories by 2030

THE Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is transitioning about 1,000 existing purpose-built dormitories and factory-converted dormitories to improved interim standards under the Dormitory Transition Scheme (DTS) by 2030.

The DTS is part of the ministry’s multi-year effort to uplift migrant worker housing resilience and improve living conditions for dormitory residents.

Dormitories under the DTS will subsequently transition further to meet MOM’s new dormitory standards (NDS) by 2040. The NDS also applies to all new applications submitted on or after Sep 18, 2021, to relevant government agencies for clearance to develop a dormitory. (*see amendment note)

Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for Manpower, said on Wednesday (Oct 11): “The NDS apply to new dormitories being built, but we have many existing dormitories. The DTS is thus an important step that uplifts the standards of our existing dormitories, creating a meaningful impact on the wider dormitory landscape.”

Under the interim standards to be implemented by 2030 under the DTS, and by 2040 under the NDS, no more than 12 residents will be allowed to occupy each room. While interim measures under the DTS recommend a 1 m spacing between beds, this will be mandatory under the NDS. (*see amendment note)

Migrant worker dormitories currently do not have any restrictions on the maximum residents per room, nor requirements for spacing between beds.

Excluding shared living facilities, the minimum living space per resident has been raised to 3.6 square metres (sq m) under the DTS; it will be raised further to 4.2 sq m per resident under the NDS.

The current average is 3.5 per sq m per resident.

While previous standards called for a toilet with a shower, sink and urinal per 15 residents, both the interim DTS standards by 2030 and the NDS standards to be implemented by 2040 mandate the same for a smaller pool of six residents.

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Communal toilets will also no longer be allowed under the DTS and NDS requirements, which specify that toilets should be en-suite only – though dormitories with infrastructure constraints may be exempt from this requirement on a case-by-case basis under interim DTS guidelines.

Interim standards under DTS and the NDS will also require en suite toilets for all isolation rooms, with only one-bedded rooms allowed for the first five occupants per 10 isolation beds. Two-bedded rooms will be allowed for the next five beds, provided there is a partition. 

While MOM presently recommends en suite toilets, they are not required, apart from the first one in 10 isolation beds. There are also no restrictions on the number of beds per room for the next nine in 10 isolation beds.

In the case of additional isolation beds of more than 15 isolation beds per 1,000 bed spaces, both DTS and NDS standards dictate that only one to two-bedded rooms will be allowed if there is partitioning between beds, with en suite toilets recommended.

Present standards in this case do not limit the number of beds per room, nor toilet provisions.

The ministry said the “vast majority” of eligible dormitories will progressively transit to the interim DTS standards between 2027 and 2030. It added that “a few large dormitories assessed to have higher public health risks” will make this transition earlier.

Dormitories with leases expiring in 2033 or earlier will, however, be exempted from the DTS. MOM has said it is “not practical” to require these spaces to undergo retrofitting when their remaining lease durations are short. Exempted dormitories looking to secure new leases after expiry will still have to meet NDS requirements. 

By 2040, all existing dormitories will be required to adhere to full NDS requirements even after undergoing DTS. This phased approach will provide existing dormitories enough time to meet NDS requirements, and to minimise disruption to dormitory bed supply, said the ministry.

“As the DTS provides broader public health safeguards for Singapore, MOM is considering some financial support to dormitories that transition to improved standards under DTS.

“This will partially defray the significant costs to dormitory operators of retrofitting existing buildings to meet new infrastructure standards. More details will be announced at a later date.” 

Centurion Corporation, one of the largest dorm operators in Singapore, welcomed MOM’s move to raise standards to improve the liveability of dorms. 

The group, which has nine facilities totalling over 34,000 beds, said it will retrofit its five purpose-built dorms, so that they meet the requirements under the DTS; these include the more-stringent requirements for isolation facilities. 

It added that its purpose-built dorms already meet some of the DTS requirements, such as having en suite toilets and showers in all its apartment units.

The remaining four facilities Centurion operates are quick-build dormitories, which already meet the higher NDS standards.

On Wednesday, the dorm operator said that it had been given the provisional go-ahead to partially redevelop two of its purpose-built dorms, Westlite Toh Guan and Westlite Mandai. The works are estimated to cost S$250 million. 

The group said: “Centurion aims to meet the interim standards, or, where possible, the higher NDS standards, to deliver a better dormitory product with minimal disruption to the marketplace, while maintaining its operational bed capacities to support the needs of industry and employers.”

Amendment note: This article has been amended to more accurately reflect the discrepancies between specifications under the DTS and NDS.