United Nations in Geneva

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a mechanism of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council that reviews each UN member state’s human rights record every four or five years. The review is conducted by a country’s peers among UN member states. Singapore is slated to undergo its next review in the second quarter of 2026.

In preparation for the review, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) invited submissions by stakeholders, including civil society, on Singapore’s record on human rights. As in previous review cycles, TWC2 and HOME (Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics) prepared a joint report; this was sent to the Geneva-based OHCHR in October 2025.

Our report is divided into five sections:

  • Assessment of progress since the last UPR;
  • Human rights violations in the phase before employment;
  • Human rights violations during employment;
  • Human rights violations post-employment;
  • Other human rights violations.

In our assessment, while there have been some new developments addressing the wellbeing of migrant workers, these changes do not actively tackle the deeper, structural problems which go to the core of migrant worker exploitation and abuse. A power imbalance between migrant workers and employers continues to play out on a daily basis. Migrant workers still lack fundamental labour rights such as the freedom to switch employers; they also continue to face deceptive recruitment and significant hurdles in seeking remedies when their rights have been violated.

In the before-employment phase, our report draws attention to the extremely high recruitment fees that workers have to pay to get jobs in Singapore. Among the worst-affected are first-time construction workers; they often have to pay fees in the range of $13,000 – $16,000, representing twenty times or more of a worker’s monthly salary. Charging workers for jobs violates ILO guidelines. Workers coming back to Singapore for subsequent jobs also have to pay (with only rare exceptions) although amounts are lower.

We also draw attention to a plethora of other abuses ranging from (a) deception about the nature of the job or terms of employment, (b) applying for a work pass for a migrant worker without his or her permission with the result that the worker may be bound to the approved job against his or her will, (c) contract substitution after employment has begun, and (d) illegal deployment. The latter is a situation where the migrant worker is made to do a job that is outside the approved scope of the work pass, thereby putting the worker at risk of official sanction.

Likewise, the abuses during the employment phase are manifold. There are persistent issues with accommodation and food. For example, many dormitories have no cooking facilities and workers have little choice but to depend entirely on poor quality catered meals every day of their working life.

Salaries are a major bone of contention. In a November 2023 survey, TWC2 found that 54% of workers in construction and engineering were not paid according to law for overtime work. In a separate survey, we found that one in eight workers were paid later than permitted by law. A significant number of migrant workers are still paid in cash, which opens the door to underpayment since cash transactions do not leave an objective record the way bank payments do. Consequently, it is far more difficult to obtain salary justice for them.

Migrant workers continue to report being made to work excessive overtime hours and on too many weekly rest days. The system for healthcare is also such that workers lack autonomy. Employers are made gatekeepers for their healthcare; denial of treatment continues to be a regular complaint.

Even after employment has ended, problems persist. For workers who have filed claims, e.g. over non-payment of salary or wrongful dismissal, access to justice is a huge barrier. There is a mandatory mediation stage, where workers may feel pressured to accept a less-than-satisfactory settlement because there is little financial or social support for them to sustain themselves through the duration of their pending case. They either do not have the right to change jobs or the job market is such that high recruitment fees are again demanded for a new job. In addition, migrant workers are disadvantaged by evidential hurdles – many documents are employer-controlled. Even when they win a court judgement, there is no low-cost way to enforce the judgement and collect on the award.

TWC2 and HOME also have concerns about the lack of victim protection when an investigation is launched. The individual has no right to seek work and yet is required to remain in Singapore.

Singapore is vigilant about the rule that foreigners with no further reason to remain in Singapore be repatriated. TWC2 and HOME expressed in our report our particular concern for migrant workers from Myanmar. Some workers just cannot return for reasons of personal safety or out of fear of political persecution. There are even some workers whose families have become international refugees or internally displaced people. The worsening crisis in that country calls for greater flexibility on humanitarian grounds.

There are a few other kinds of human rights violations. Migrant workers do not enjoy subsidised healthcare despite contributing to Singapore’s economy and being liable for income tax. Domestic workers continue to be excluded from the Employment Act and the Work Injury Compensation Act, which are important for the protections these pieces of legislation offer.

The full text of our joint submission (PDF, 23 pages) can be downloaded by clicking the icon at right. It explains the issues in greater  detail and also offers recommendations for corrective action.