7 in 10 employers here satisfied with their migrant workers: MOM survey

Most employers are satisfied with their migrant staff, while the workers themselves report record-high satisfaction with their working and living conditions, noted a survey on Aug 21.

- Cheong Poh Kwan

The poll – the first of employers that hire migrant workers – found that 70.8 per cent of bosses were satisfied with the quality of these workers, while just 1.4 per cent expressed dissatisfaction. The remaining 27.8 per cent were neutral.

Retention figures were strong as well, with 75.2 per cent of employers renewing the work permits of more than 80 per cent of their migrant workforce.

This suggests "a stable employment relationship", said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), which undertook the survey.

Employers were also proactive in keeping their workers, with 88.8 per cent offering benefits such as salary increments and promotion opportunities.

Beyond mandatory safety courses, 80.6 per cent of employers offered additional training to upskill their migrant workers.

However, while 47.5 per cent of the employers felt they had good access to migrant workers overall, only 27.3 per cent said it was easy to find those with relevant skills.