Better-designed dorm for migrant workers set to open in 2026

A new foreign worker dormitory in Jurong - the first to be built and owned by the Government - will offer more personal space and privacy to its residents when it opens in early 2026.

- Kok Yufeng

With a fresh room layout, privacy nooks on each floor, and a dedicated space in each room for socializing and small-group prayers, the 2,400-worker dormitory in Tukang Innovation Lane will showcase new ways of designing living quarters for migrant workers. MOM said in a progress update on Nov 17.

The dormitory is the first of two that will be built and owned by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), with the other government-owned dorm in Sengkang West expected to be completed around mid-2028.

Speaking to the media on Nov 17 after a visit to the Tukang dormitory site, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said MOM hopes to spur other dorm operators to continue to improve, and potentially speed up their transition to better standards.

"We can demonstrate to them what are some of the improvements that are not just necessary, but also commercially viable." The two MOM dormitories are among seven upcoming dormitories being built to a set of higher standards, which about 1,000 of the 1,500 existing dorms are required to meet only by 2040.

Under the more stringent requirements, which were introduced in 2021 after the Covid-19 pandemic, there will be a cap of 12 residents per room at MOM's Tukang dorm. This is unlike the majority of today's dorms, where up to 16 workers, sometimes more, typically share a room.

Each resident at the new Tukang dorm will get at least 4.2 sq m of living space, up from 3.5 sq m in most dorms now.

Residents of the new MOM dorm will also have access to en-suite toilets and in-room Wi-Fi, amenities that migrant workers here largely do not enjoy yet.

Dormitories built before September 2021 have been given a transition period to meet the higher standards, to ensure minimal disruption to the dormitory bed supply, which has been tight.

Still, some progress has been made, with newer dorms built after September 2021 having to abide by the stricter requirements.