MAIDS IN SINGAPORE
Hiring a migrant domestic workers (MDWs), foreign domestic worker (FDW) or "maid" is common in Singapore, with approximately one in five households employing one to assist with childcare, elderly care, and household chores. As of December 2025, there were 316,900 MDWs employed in Singapore. This number has seen a steady increase in recent years to support the city-state's ageing population and dual-income households.
In 2013, there were 214,500 foreign women—with about half of them from Indonesia and others mostly from the Philippines, Sri Lanka and India—working as domestic workers such as full-time, live-in nannies, cleaners and cooks in Singapore. This was up from 140,000 in 2001 and 50,000 in 1990. In the early 2000s, every seventh home had live-in domestic help. Now one in five do. In 2013 a typical domestic worker was paid about $200 a month plus room and board for cooking, cleaning, washing and looking after children and the elderly. In some cases their employers are hardly ever home and they act as quasi-parents.
Hilary Whiteman of CNN wrote: “Just over 200,000 maids, or foreign domestic workers (FDW), live and work in one in six households in Singapore, according to migrant advocacy group Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2). They came in large numbers in the 1980s when the government encouraged more women and highly skilled workers into the economy, creating the need for more help at home and the money to pay for it. Since then, the city-state has come to rely so much upon its imported help that the government is struggling to balance the demands of its local population with criticism that it's doing too little to protect workers' rights. [Source: Hilary Whiteman, CNN, October 31, 2011]
Many maids are from Indonesia. In September 2003, the Singapore government began requiring Singapore-bound Indonesian maids to enter the country at only place, Batam Island, so the government could monitor them better. Brochures offered by the Philippine government to potential overseas workers bound for Singapore say, "good behavior means it: the maid...will not become pregnant."
Arrangement Between Singapore Maids and Their Employers
Average Costs (Monthly) for a Maid in Singapore
Salary: $450 – $700 (varies by experience and nationality)
Maid Levy: $300 (Standard) or $60 (Concessionary)
Living Expenses: ~$270 (includes food and utilities)
Total $780 – $1,270 [Source: Google AI]
Important Requirements
Employer Eligibility: Must be at least 21 years old, not bankrupt, and have the mental capacity to fulfill employer responsibilities.
Legal Compliance: Helpers must hold a valid Work Permit issued by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and can only work at the registered residential address.
Rest Days: Helpers are entitled to one weekly rest day (often Sunday), though they can be compensated with extra pay if they agree to work on their day off.
Hilary Whiteman of CNN wrote: “The list of house rules make it clear what one Singaporean working mother expects of her new maids. "You cannot choose your food... I will decide the type of food to buy for you. You cannot use the washing machine or dryer... you must hand wash your own clothes and bed sheets. And if (the children) fall down, it's your fault.""Tamarind," as she's known, lists the rules on her blog, which is advertised as "primarily for employers who have suffered at the hands of bad maids." She says her maids aren't punished, if they break the rules, but firm guidance is needed early on. [Source: Hilary Whiteman, CNN, October 31, 2011 ^*^]
“Tamarind gives her current maid two days off a month and doesn't believe the law should be changed. "In Singapore, most Chinese husbands do not help with house work and children. If all maids have a day off every week that would mean that full-time working mothers have no rest at all," she told CNN. She adds: "Maids are not as vulnerable as you think. Many maids will agree to a contract with no day off at first. Then a few months later they ask for a day off; otherwise, they will ask to transfer to a new employer." "Many people think that maids are forced to work with one employer due to the contract. The truth is that the contract is useless," she says. ^*^
“Tamarind says her maid would prefer to earn extra money than take a day off — something Human Rights Watch says only underscores how little domestic workers are paid. "They're being paid so little that they can't even afford to take off that one day a week," Varia says, adding, "A lot of them are doing this to survive and to support their families back home."^*^
“Nining Djohar worked for three years as a maid in Singapore before she was allowed a day off. And even then it was only after she changed employers. "Of course I am very tired and I can not tell about anything. Three months after going with my employer I wanted to go out. Because the house is so big, there are two children also, two babies. Then after that... yell yell yell, everything is wrong. I try to call my agency, but the agency is no more," she says. ^*^
Conditions have improved since Djohar left Singapore in 2003, with the introduction of the standard contract in 2006. Djohar now works for Migrant Care in Jakarta, helping other Indonesian women to navigate the system. "All of the people ask me one thing; one day off every Sunday," she says. ^*^
Human Rights and Singaporean Maids
Kate Hodal wrote in The Guardian, “Many of Singapore's domestic workers are hired as full-time, live-in nannies, cleaners and cooks, with the majority hailing from the Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India. Seven-day weeks and 14-hour days are common, a report last year found, with only 12 percent of domestic helpers currently getting a day off each week. Runaways, violence, accidents and suicide are not uncommon, and physical and psychological abuse by Singaporean employers – who rate among the richest in the world – has been well documented. [Source: Kate Hodal, The Guardian, March 6, 2012]
"What's really striking is that Singapore has done a good job of addressing cases of physical and sexual abuse against domestic workers... but they have really fallen behind the norm in terms of not including these workers under the labor law and considering them as workers," Nisha Varia from Human Rights Watch. "It's something Singapore should feel really embarrassed about." [Source: Hilary Whiteman, CNN, October 31, 2011 ~~]
“While maids are recognized under Singapore's Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, the legislation doesn't regulate pay or working hours. That is agreed in a contract between the employer and employee, along with their recruitment company. While the standard contract asks parties to nominate one day off a month (to be paid in lieu, if the maid chooses to forgo it), the Act only requires employers to provide "adequate rest." Employers who fail to comply can be fined up to $5000 (US$3900) and jailed for up to six months. ~~
In 2010, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) says it took action against 26 employers for failure to provide adequate food, rest or medical care. In the first half of 2011, nine were held to account. "Most FDW employers are responsible and treat their FDWs well," a government spokesperson said. Yet, according to a survey released this year by Transient Workers Count Too, only 12 percent of Singapore's foreign domestic workers, mostly women from Indonesia and the Philippines, were granted a day off each week. Just over half had a day off each month. ~~
“One of the things we noticed from the responses of employers is a kind of panicked reaction when we start talking about a day off," says TWC2's executive director Vincent Wijeysingha. "I think that's based on the fact that we've come to depend so much on our domestic workers for everything. You see them running the household, shopping, paying bills and looking after vulnerable people in the family. "The key reason why we need them is because there are no affordable childcare services and no affordable elderly daycare services. So this represents the cheapest social policy option," he says. ~~
Singapore's Maids to Get a Day Off
In 2012, legislation was passed giving Singapore's 200,000 domestic workers a day off but rights groups feared the new law contained loopholes and delays. Kate Hodal wrote in The Guardian, “It was a day many of them thought might never come: a day off. Long denied what most consider a basic workplace right, domestic workers in Singapore will at last be guaranteed one day of rest each week. Manpower minister Tan Chuan-Jin told parliament that the time off will give maids a "much needed emotional and mental break from work and time apart from their employers". The new legislation, came into force on 1 January 2013 and applies to domestic workers whose work permits are issued or renewed on that date, as well as to employers hiring for the first time, the local Straits Times reported. Kate Hodal, The Guardian, March 6, 2012 *]
"I'm happy about the new law, because right now we work 24 hours a day practically, morning to night," said 31-year-old Indonesian helper Meena Jilita, who works as a live-in nanny for two young children and is expected to cook and clean whenever the children are asleep. "We need our own time, a day off, to meet our friends and unwind." Domestic workers will be entitled to negotiate with their employers to forgo the break and receive additional compensation to work that day, although the new regulations will not affect the permits of those maids already under contract. *\
“Human rights groups applauded the reform but said that it should apply to all domestic workers and take effect this year. Dr Noorashikin Abdul Rahman of Singapore-based Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), said: "Otherwise, there will be quite a significant population of domestic workers who will have to wait for a considerable amount of time before they have access to this basic labour right. *\
"It should also be made clear what the penalty would be if employers do not oblige by the new legislation, so that those who are inclined to take this new law lightly will be more aware of the consequences of doing so," she added. Domestic helpers receive no minimum wage and instead negotiate contracts directly with their employers. Their salaries can range from £125 to £350 a month, but workers often go unpaid for the first six to 11 months of their contract due to agency placement fees. *\
“Human Rights Watch cited a "significant risk of abuse" that employers may bully their help into forgoing a day off. Singapore's move follows legislation that already exists in Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as domestic laws requiring mandatory orientation programmes for workers and greater regulation of employment agencies. The announcement on Monday has further stoked a fiery debate over workers' rights in Singapore, where an MP's suggestion in year that domestic workers be granted a day off was met with a flurry of anger.” *\
Singapore Maids to Be Spared, English and Cooking Test
In December 2011, the Singaporean government announced that foreign domestic workers would no longer be tested on their English, cooking and cleaning skills. The Guardian reported, “Singapore’s vast army of maids doesn't have it easy. Expected to cook and clean for their employers at a moment's notice, they also have to pass a test to show they can speak English. But this is now set to change, as the city-state's mandatory examination for maids, which included English language testing, will be scrapped from June 2012 and replaced by a "settling-in programme", with modules on stress management, safety awareness and adapting to life and work abroad. It will not offer English language training, nor any classes on cooking or cleaning. [Source: Guardian, December 6, 2011 |=|]
“Until now it's often been English that has unified employer with employee. The majority of Singapore's maids hail from its poorer neighbours, notably Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Burma. The exam was introduced in 2005 to improve the calibre of domestic workers coming to Singapore, and has often been cited as a source of stress for new arrivals, many of whom have already paid high recruitment fees to agencies back home in anticipation of a new life. |=|
“Around 80 maids take the test every day, but failure is common. One Indonesian maid committed suicide last year after failing the test three times, the maximum number of tries allowed. Tan Chuang-Jin of Singapore's manpower ministry said that the new law should offer a more stress-free environment for domestic workers, four out of five of whom are said to face problems adapting to life in Singapore. "While the entry test was introduced with good intentions … it is not a meaningful measure of quality and does not guarantee that the worker understands the English language," he said. "It discourages some good foreign domestic workers from wanting to work here, while others spend valuable training time mugging for the test." |=|
“Local employers and agencies have welcomed the news, with the Singaporean Association of Employment Agencies expecting the new law to increase the number of foreign maids applying to work in Singapore up to 25 percent. Around 3,000 new domestic workers arrive every month. Others, however, are worried that scrapping the law will pose more, rather than fewer, problems. According to Rieke Dyah Pitaloka, of Indonesia's House of Representatives commission, which oversees labour affairs, poor language skills caused 92 percent of disputes between Singaporean employers and their Indonesian domestic workers between January and July. "Lax requirements will only cause problems, because [poor skills in] language can lead to poor communication between employers and employees," she told the Jakarta Globe.
Singapore Maid's Ten Commandments
Jaime Ee, Business Times, March 4, 2002] With kids (and parents) relying on maids to do everything from fetching shoes to picking up newspapers off the floor (because they're paid to) it's interesting to look at the social contract that we make with every maid that comes into our home. Every employer has expectations of his or her maid. Some more, some less, and some almost unreasonable. If you put them all together, you would have The Maid's Ten Commandments, as compiled by the typical Singapore employer: [Source: Jaime Ee, Business Times, March 4, 2002 +++]
1) Thou shall clean thy employer's house so clean that thou can carry out heart surgery on thy kitchen floor. And thou shall do this from this day hence until thy contract expires or thou runnest away with foreign construction worker. 2) Thou shall not covet thy Ma'am's husband, nor her household jewellery or the loose change thou findest in trouser pockets. 3) Thou shall heed all of thy Ma'am's commands, even those which are still in her head and have not been articulated. 4) Thou shall ensure that thy employer's children are protected from the horror of dirty dishes until they are of marriageable or maid-employing age. 5) Thou shall find housework and childcare so fulfilling that having thoughts of men and making friends among thy countrymen are as horrible as having a thousand ants crawling up thy pants. +++
6) Thou shall be master chef and housekeeper supreme, for only then shall thy $300 monthly salary be justified. 7) Thou shall be able to tell the difference between Ma'am's expensive face towels and the towels for washing the family car or dog. 8) Thou shall also be intimately knowledgeable of a motorcar's mechanical and body parts, as well as the proper shampoo and wax products to use. 9) Thou shall have no opinion of thine own other than to serve thy master well and pull no long face when reprimanded for feeding the baby nasi lemak. 10) There are no good maids, only good employers. +++
Of course, we all know that trouble starts when maids do not live up to the Ten Commandments set out by their employers. But while maids haven't read the commandments written for them, neither are employers aware that maids also have their own set of commandments though maybe not quite as many. They include: 1) Thou has three magic words which can be used to get out of any kind of trouble: 'I don't know'. 2) Ma'am will not know what towel thou uses to wash the bathroom floor if thou remembers to wash it and put it back into her cupboard. 3) Money that goes unnoticed by family members is money that thou can keep. 4) Thou can make as many phone calls as thou likes if thou knows how to erase the caller-ID function. If thou is not so technically savvy, thou can tell Ma'am that thy sister, cousin, long-lost village friend needs desperately to contact thou. 5) There are no good employers, only those that thou can manipulate. Maids. Employers. Put them together and you have enough stories to fill a book. Who is right, who is unreasonable, how do we come to a win-win solution or is there no such thing - so long as we don't want to do our own laundry, this will be a never-ending issue. So what are we going to do about it? In the words of many a maid, I don't know. +++
Maids Die Falling From Singapore High-Rises
Between 1999 and 2004, nearly 100 Indonesian maids fell to their death usually while cleaning windows or hanging out the washing from apartments in high-rise buildings, according to Indonesian embassy figures. Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said that 21 maids had fallen from high-rise buildings in that period. Singapore's Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen told BBC Radio that there were about 18 cases of maids falling to their deaths in 2005. Ng said the government is trying to tackle the issue and the number of deaths has dropped. Half the deaths were suicides, he said.
In 2001, the Strait Times reported: “Indonesia has again imposed a temporary ban, effectively immediately, on the sending of maids to Singapore, in response to what the government said was the high number of accidental deaths of Indonesian maids in the republic since 1999. Manpower and Transmigration Minister Alhilal Hamdi claimed that in the past 30 months, 43 Indonesian maids had fallen to their deaths while attempting to clean windows and other fixtures in high-rise buildings. At least one death was confirmed to be a suicide, while the rest were ruled as work-related fatalities, he said. Although his ministry's ruling is effective immediately, it will not force repatriation of those maids already working in Singapore. [Source: Straits Times, July 19, 2001]
In 2012, at least 11 foreign domestic workers fell to their deaths. In June of that year the government responded by strengthening safety requirements so that domestic workers only clean windows in the presence of their employers and if window bars have been installed and locked. In at least one case, an employer was fined S$5000 (US$4093) for negligence.
In December 2005, a Singapore woman was charged with negligence for ordering her Indonesian maid out of a window from where she fell to her death in December 2003. AFP reported: “Ngu Mei Mei, 37, is charged with ordering the maid, Yanti, to climb with laundry from a study room window to hang out the laundry, a court document said. It said the roof "was not designed for such ordinary human access". The Straits Times reported that Yanti fell to her death but the charge sheet says only that Ngu "did an act so negligently as to endanger human life." She faces three months in jail, a S$250 (US$150) or both. [Source: Agence France Presse, December 16, 2005]
High-Rise Laundry-Hanging Lessons and Maids in Singapore That Survived Falls
In October 2003, Singapore authorities launched a safety course to teach new maids how to avoid falling from high-rise flats following an alarming number of helpers plunging to their deaths, a report said. AFP reported: “Among the teaching tools created by the National Safety Council is a video opening with a shot of a maid's body lying on the ground after falling from an apartment and the words "Don't let this happen to you." The lessons began became compulsory for new maids seeking to obtain a work permit, the Straits Times reported. [Source: Agence France Presse, February 19, 2004]
“In a session, Indonesian maids were instructed not to overload bamboo poles when hanging out the wash and to avoid leaning out of the window or balcony when cleaning the glass. Most Singaporeans live in government-built high-rise apartments and hang their laundry on bamboo poles fitted into slots outside the windows. The maids, most of whom come from remote villages and have never lived in high-rise buildings, were also taught how to take care of children and the elderly, handle electrical equipment and first aid.
January 2011, an Indonesian maid working in Singapore fell from her employer’s ninth story apartment and miraculously survived, according to local news reports by the Sunday Times. The 23-year-old woman was found at the foot of the building surrounded by clothes and bamboo branches, leading local authorities to speculate she may have been trying to bring in laundry when she fell. At a public hospital she was treated for fractures to her pelvis and legs, although doctors have said she will survive the injuries. [Source: Kenya Star, January 17, 2011]
In June 2001, a 21-year-old Indonesian maid was in critical condition after falling seven storeys from her employer's flat. Police said she was found lying on the ground at Blk 477 Pasir Ris Drive 6 early Monday morning. She was, apparently, last seen in the kitchen hanging clothes out to dry. [Source: Straits Times, June 27, Jun 2001]
Singapore Curbs Window Cleaning amid Maid Deaths
Associated Press reported: “Singapore has tightened rules on window cleaning following the deaths of nine maids who fell from high-rise apartments this year. Maids are no longer allowed to clean the outside of windows above ground level unless they are supervised, and window grills must be installed and locked during cleaning, the Manpower Ministry said. The ministry said it plans to notify all households with maids of the new rules, which are effective immediately, and employers who fail to comply may be permanently banned from hiring maids. The ministry said it also plans to introduce legislation later this year that would double the fine and maximum jail sentence for employers who fail to provide maids with a safe working environment. The new penalties would be a fine of 10,000 Singapore dollars ($7,750) and a 12-month jail term, the ministry said. [Source: AP, June 5, 2012 ]
“Singapore is under pressure to improve the working conditions of foreign maids. In May 2012, a court fined an employer SG$5,000 and barred her from hiring domestic workers in the future after a maid fell and died from her fifth-floor apartment while cleaning windows standing on a stool. The ministry said seven of this year's nine maid deaths were due to dangerous window cleaning or hanging of laundry. More than 90 percent of Singapore residents live in high-rise apartments.
“Local media featured dramatic front-page photos of a 29-year-old Indonesian maid as she fell from her employer's 12th floor apartment window Sunday. She was grabbed and rescued by neighbors one floor below. The nine maids who fell to their deaths were from Indonesia, which supplies about half of Singapore's 200,000 maids. The Indonesian Embassy in Singapore in recent months had called for a ban on maids cleaning the outside of windows.
Singaporean Maid for Millionaire Unfairly Jailed for Theft
Parti Liyani, an Indonesian domestic worker, earned about S$600 per month while working for a wealthy Singaporean family headed by prominent businessman Liew Mun Leong. Her role placed her inside an elite household where she carried out domestic duties over many years, becoming closely involved in the family’s daily life and extended living arrangements.[Source: Yvette Tan, BBC, September 23, 2020]
In 2016, she was abruptly accused by members of the family of theft, including allegations of stealing 115 pieces of clothing, luxury handbags, a DVD player and a Gerald Genta watch. Altogether the items were said to be worth S$34,000. The accusations escalated quickly into a police report, transforming a household dispute into a formal criminal investigation with serious consequences for her.She was dismissed and given only two hours to pack her belongings before being sent back to Indonesia. Shortly after her departure, the family examined her packed items and claimed they had discovered stolen property, which they used as the basis for pursuing criminal charges against her.
The BBC reported: Parti first began working in Mr Liew Mun Leong's home in 2007, where several family members including his son Karl lived. In March 2016, Mr Karl Liew and his family moved out of the home and lived elsewhere. Court documents that detail the sequence of events say that Ms Parti was asked to clean his new house and office on "multiple occasions" — which breaks local labour regulations, and which she had previously complained about....When Mr Karl Liew told Parti that her employment was terminated, she reportedly told him: "I know why. You are angry because I refused to clean up your toilet."
Unaware of the police report, she later returned to Singapore in search of work and was arrested upon arrival. With no income and unable to work while facing charges, she spent extended periods relying on a migrant workers’ shelter and support services while her case moved slowly through the courts. She was eventually convicted in 2019 and sentenced to more than two years in prison, based on allegations involving items said to be worth tens of thousands of dollars. The conviction meant she spent years entangled in legal proceedings, facing both incarceration and the long-term consequences of a criminal record before her appeal.
Singaporean Maid for Millionaire Win Court Over Unfair Theft Accusations
Throughout the investigation and trial, Parti consistently denied the allegations and maintained that many of the items in question were either her own possessions, discarded objects she had found, or items she had never actually packed into the boxes prepared by the family. She challenged the legitimacy of the accusations by arguing that the case was motivated by personal conflict, including her refusal to carry out work she believed violated labour rules. This claim later became central to arguments that the police report may have been used to pre-empt her own complaints. [Source: Yvette Tan, BBC, September 23, 2020]
During her appeal, her legal team, supported by a non-governmental organisation, scrutinised inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case, including the condition of the alleged stolen items. Some were damaged or unusable, raising doubts about whether they would realistically be stolen or kept. Key prosecution evidence was also challenged in court, including a DVD player and other items whose condition and ownership were disputed. The High Court later found issues with how evidence was handled and noted concerns about fairness, credibility of witnesses, and investigative procedures.
According to the BBC the judge in the case “said there was reason to believe the Liew family had filed their police report against her to stop her from lodging a complaint about being illegally sent to clean Mr Karl Liew's house. The judge noted that many items that were allegedly stolen by Ms Parti were in fact already damaged — such as the watch which had a missing button-knob, and two iPhones that were not working — and said it was "unusual" to steal items that were mostly broken. In one instance, Ms Parti was accused of stealing a DVD player, which she said had been thrown away by the family because it did not work.
In 2022, the High Court acquitted her, with the judge concluding there were serious flaws in the case and indications of improper motive behind the accusations. After years of legal struggle, she declared relief at being free and stated her intention to return to Indonesia, while her case sparked wider debate about inequality and access to justice in Singapore.
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 5: East/Southeast Asia:” edited by Paul Hockings, 1993; National Geographic, Live Science, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, Singapore Tourism Board, The Guardian, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Encyclopedia.com, The Conversation, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Google AI, Wikipedia and various websites, books and other publications.
Last updated May 2026