Singapore Says They Will No Longer Give Temporary Housing to Malaysian Workers After 31 Mar

Malaysian workers in Singapore are currently facing difficulties as the Movement Control Order (MCO) has been extended for an additional 2 weeks. The MCO’s initial planned date was from 18th of March to 31st of March 2020. However, it has now been extended to an extra two weeks with the final date of MCO being 14th of April 2020.

Following the extension, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in Singapore is urging employers to find a long-term accommodation for their Malaysian workers who are employed there.

According to Straits Times, this statement was put forward because the Singaporean Government will not be able to extend temporary housing support beyond 31st of March 2020.

Prior to the extension, the Singapore Government has stated that they will look for alternatives to provide accommodation to Malaysian workers who have chosen to stay in Singapore during the MCO in tandem with helping employers regarding the cost. However, this offer is only applicable until the 31st of March 2020.

Straits Times reported that the government had issued a statement on Wednesday (25th of March 2020) following Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s announcement of MCO extension.

“MOM will… work with employers to facilitate the transfer of their affected workers into more sustainable housing options in Singapore,” said MOM in their statement.

MOM requested the employers to take into consideration their long-term sustainability and business continuity when deciding on the best strategies to house their affected workers in Singapore. The employers might have to share costs with their workers in some circumstances.

Decision making regarding accommodation options are up to the employers as they get to decide options for their Malaysian employees. They either could be referred to hotels for some firms or they might have to look at public or private rental options.

On another update, work-pass holders who are planning to enter Singapore from Malaysia must first obtain approval from the MOM before they can proceed further.

This requirement applies to work-pass holders who are now outside of Singapore and workers whose work permits have been approved but they have not entered the country.

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