Mandatory Eldercare and Childcare Training for New Migrant Domestic Workers

Ms Joan Pereira asked the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry will consider requiring all new migrant domestic workers to attend mandatory training programmes on caregiving for elderly or the young; and (b) if not, why.

Ms Jasmin Lau: The Ministry of Manpower currently has no plans to require new Migrant Domestic Workers (MDWs) to attend mandatory caregiving training, given that different households have different needs and employers are best placed to determine the skills that their MDWs need.

We encourage and support employers in sending their MDWs for training to meet the care needs of their households. Agencies, like Agency for Integrated Care and SG Enable, work with training partners to offer over 240 courses covering a range of caregiving skills, including caring for infants, seniors and persons with disabilities. Home-based training is also available, thereby making training more accessible for MDWs.

Employers can send their MDWs who are caregivers for eligible care recipients to caregiver training courses using the Caregivers Training Grant (CTG). The CTG was enhanced from 1 April 2024, increasing from $200 to $400 per year, per care recipient.

The Government will continue to regularly review how we can further support the take-up of caregiving training among MDWs.