Foreign domestic workers (FDWs) have been an integral part of Singapore’s socio-economic framework. In fact, in less than a decade, the number of FDWs in Singapore has spiked by about 27 per cent, from about 201,000 in 2010 to 255,800 as of June 2020.

According to a study, FDWs contributed more than US$8 billion in 2018 to the Singapore economy, this was 2.4 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product. In addition to their contribution to the economy, they also provide irreplaceable support to the local communities. A more recent report found that foreign workers will continue to contribute to job growth in 2022.

However, the industry is plagued with several challenges. Based on MOM statistics, two in three maids do not complete their two-year contracts, with 250 employers changing maids five or more times within a year in 2018. 

A TODAY article reported that while at first glance, the figures seemed to suggest that the employers here are too picky. But interviews with several employers who had changed maids several times within a short span present a different story- some maids were caught lying on sofas applying face masks while ignoring tasks and some were caught ignoring babies they were asked to babysit. 

On the other side of the table, studies have found that the three most common issues for FDWs are being overworked, suffering verbal abuse, and salary disputes. Indeed there have been an unsettling number of cases recently of employers abusing.

MOH: Bridging the gap between employers and helpers

Clearly, there is a gap somewhere. In an effort to address some of these challenges, the Singapore-based Ministry of Helpers (MOH) has emerged with an innovative and comprehensive solution that aims to make the process easier and more efficient for the parties involved.

Launched earlier this year, the Ministry of Helpers is a dynamic, inclusive, one-stop e-platform developed to better serve the needs of both employers and foreign domestic helpers. Having found that close to 50 per cent of helper/employer matches did not survive past one year, the founders behind the Ministry of Helpers realised the need to overhaul the sector and its processes to weed out the inefficiencies and non-transparency.

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I had the chance to speak with MOH’s Dirk van Motman to understand the technology behind the platform, its goals and future plans.

Leveraging the latest technologies for a holistic solution

MOH describes itself as a Home Management Solution which combines fintech, HR tech, and service tech to provide an entry point for domestic workers and allow household owners to resolve pain points. 

Explaining the three aspects of technology and how they are leveraging these solutions to bring the platform together, Motman explains “The fintech aspect of our platform enables us to provide financial services, such as insurance, managing household expenditure and helper debit cards, enabling convenience, choice and freedom.”

“We act as an HRtech platform as we not just prive matching services but enable the whole hiring process with chat/video interview functions, contract engine, management of documents and connecting it with things like salary payments (debit cards), scheduling of Medical ERTC, etc. Furthermore, training with close to 150 videos that include quizzes to be taken afterwards through our partner StepUp is another form of HR Tech,” he adds.

And, finally, the platform’s service tech aspect enables users to leverage the household/task scheduler which integrates with their calendars and grocery lists.

Not an agency, much more than that

MOH is not just another maid agency. They are much more than that. Motman explains that MOH is not focused on just placing people but on making connections that work because they believe ‘Better Connections make Better Homes’. 

“We, therefore, don’t operate as an agency and don’t charge fees accordingly, but rather a subscription that allows access to the total suite of services,” he says.

In fact, MOH has an elaborate training programme for helpers, for which they have partnered with StepUp which has built an extensive library through their years of doing this. “On our site, we are featuring a selection of ten programmes that shows the cross-section of available materials. We will be continuing to work on the topics based upon feedback from our members for instance the blog that we also run on our site and consultation with other related industry partners,” shares Motman.

Quickly emerging as one of the top startups helping domestic workers in Singapore, MOH had seen over two thousand sign-ups as of April (soft launch period) despite having done minimal or almost no marketing efforts. “We expect to see an acceleration as we are starting our campaigns now. We have been very focused on the launch and are continuously improving the experience, adds Motman.

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Amidst the pandemic, there was a lot of pressure on both employers and helpers. Both sides had limited flexibility to be mobile and choiceful. It was especially challenging for helpers who were cut off from being able to see their families and for employers, the struggle was the limited opportunity to bring in new helpers.

However, MOH doesn’t believe in setting course to going back to pre-pandemic days. Instead, they believe in providing progress for all and that would entail more transparency, equality, empowerment, and choice, considering that our homes have become more than ever a multi-functional hub where you live, work, play, and learn.

It would be interesting to see how MOH is able to change the FDW landscape and address crucial pain points in the post-pandemic future.

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Image credit: Ministry of Helpers

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