Singaporeans are often shocked to learn about the poor work and living conditions of low-wage migrants, a sign of the profound disconnect between the country’s resident and migrant populations. But the COVID-19 crisis has made a compelling connection, showing that the health and well-being of everyone, resident or migrant, are inextricably linked in a pandemic. At the same time, it has shone a spotlight on the vulnerable conditions of low-wage migrants, placing them at the heart of a national soul search. Migrants and their problems are no longer invisible.

Definition of a modern-day migrant

Modern-day low-wage migrants are denied the rights and benefits accorded to citizens and residents. They face language, cultural and information barriers and suffer from stereotypes and prejudice. They do jobs that command little respect.

In Singapore, low and unskilled migrants labour under a restrictive work permit regime that leaves them dependent on their employers for a range of essential needs. They also work in highly competitive industries where cheap sourcing and low wages are prevalent. The combined weight of these vulnerabilities and structural pressures leaves these workers unusually vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

Agent fee debt

Being in debt reduces the worker’s bargaining power with his employer and makes him willing to tolerate exploitative, even abusive conditions in order to keep his job and visa. With monthly basic salaries hovering around S$500 to S$600, it could take more than a year to repay the debt, which means migrant workers are in thrall for a long period of time.

Mental health

Migrant workers’ mental health has surfaced as an area of concern in the COVID-19 crisis. News reports of suicides emerged in August 2020, four months after the first dormitory lockdowns in April (Tan & Tee, 2020). As Singapore enters a historic recession, job loss (or the threat of it) combines powerfully with the stress of prolonged isolation for these workers, who are at the bottom of the labour supply chain.

A wicked problem

The complexity of the challenge confronting vulnerable migrants qualifies it as a “wicked” problem, much like climate change, poverty, and corruption. They typically involve many stakeholders with conflicting interests and where no one is fully responsible, so “wicked problems are everyone’s problem” (Degnegaard & Eggers, 2019, p.2).

This understanding allows us to move away from the widespread belief that migrant workers are the responsibility of the government, or the victims of a handful of errant employers. Chin (2019) argues that a complicit network consisting of the state, employer and bystander are all morally complicit in the migrant worker’s precarity. This account is compelling because it implicates you as a bystander, even if you have no obvious relation with migrant workers and their industries.

Design thinking

Design thinking tries to move away from the problem mindset and starts with the vision of a better future. This is a compelling exercise especially useful for minimising the fatigue of dealing with seemingly intractable wicked problems. For instance, take migrant workers’ economic and social marginalisation and turn it into a question: what would a more inclusive and equitable Singapore look like?

This commentary is penned by Christy Davis and Dalvin Sidhu from the Lien Centre for Social Innovation at SMU, Tania Nagpaul from the Singapore University of Social Sciences and Qiuyi Tan, freelance journalist and former Channel NewsAsia correspondent. The authors review the substantial volume of research and information existing on the issues surrounding low-wage migrants and distil the content in a discussion that is accessible and engaging. The paper also attempts to fill the longstanding information gap about the lived experiences of low-wage migrants.

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