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Singaporean employment agencies and employers will now find it easier to hire domestic workers from the Philippines.

On Sep. 7, the Ministry of Manpower announced in a joint statement with the Philippines' Department of Migrant Workers that the hiring requirements of a performance bond and a banker's guarantee have been abolished.

Manpower Minister Tan See Leng met with Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople of the Philippines on the same day.

The statement added:

"The removal of said requirements was in recognition of the deep and abiding friendship between the Republic of the Philippines and the Republic of Singapore, and was a concrete outcome of the historic first state visit of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.

Minister Tan expressed appreciation for the said abolishment and affirmed Singapore’s commitment to protect the well being of all migrant workers in Singapore."

Newly-elected President Ferdinand Marcos Jr visited Singapore from Sep. 6 to Sep. 7.

What is a performance bond?

According to Value Champion SG, employers previously needed to submit a S$7,000 bond to the Philippines Overseas Labour Office to hire a Filipino migrant domestic workers.

"This performance bond is a contractual obligation between you and the Philippines government to make sure that your Filipino maid is being paid the right wage, has a rest day, has sanitary living quarters and will receive adequate medical and dental care. You are also not allowed to withhold your FDW's passport without her consent."

There are other stipulations, and if the hiring is done through an accredited agency, this amount could go down to S$2,000, Value Champion SG claimed.

Security bonds still necessary

However, employers still need to purchase security bonds for migrant domestic workers.

The law states that an employer must buy a security bond for such workers, unless they are Malaysian. The bond costs S$5,000 and takes the form of a banker's or insurer's guarantee.

A security bond is a binding pledge to pay the government if either the employer or the helper breaks the law or Work Permit conditions. The bond is in the form of a banker’s or insurer’s guarantee.

If either the employer or the worker breaks the law or Work Permit conditions, the bond is forfeited. If the conditions are not breached, the worker returns home and the Work Permit has been cancelled, the bond liability is discharged.

Top image via Treasure of Hope International, Inc./Facebook