Our advocacy work is based on evidence collected in our research activities. In this section are reports, research findings, brief fact sheets and analyses.

29 06, 2017

Labour protection for the vulnerable: challenges and recommendations

2019-08-30T16:31:32+08:00June 29th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Press Releases|

A new study released by Transient Workers Count Too on 29 June 2017 reveals challenges faced by low-wage migrant workers with unpaid salaries and workplace injuries in obtaining compensation and recourse. The study, conducted by researchers at the Singapore Management University (“SMU”) and Transient Workers Count Too (“TWC2”), reveals that significant numbers of workers face

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6 03, 2017

Foreign workforce numbers 2012 – 2016

2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00March 6th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

For easy reference in future, we carry below the statistics relating to employed expatriates/workers for the years 2012 to 2016, extracted from the Ministry of Manpower website on 24 Feb 2017. Equivalent data for the years 2007 to 2012 can be seen at this page. Percentage-wise, these are the figures: The next table shows quite

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24 02, 2017

One quarter of Labour Court salary orders unpaid

2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00February 24th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, News Flash|

At the parliamentary sitting of 9 January 2017, Nominated Member of Parliament Kok Heng Leun posed a question to the Minister for Manpower Lim Swee Say (pictured above). As published in the Hansard, Labour Court Orders on Employee Salary Non-payment Mr Kok Heng Leun asked the Minister for Manpower (a) how many complaints about salary non-payment

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5 02, 2017

Average recruitment cost hit $15,000 in 2015 for first-time Bangladeshi construction workers

2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00February 5th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

After hearing anecdotal reports of 'agent fees' in the region of $17,000 or $18,000, Transient Workers Count Two carried out a pilot survey to determine if these were rare cases, or if recruitment costs have risen dramatically. An earlier research report published in 2012, Worse off for working? found that Bangladeshi workers needed to work

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25 01, 2017

Was there no prosecution in 2016 for non-payment of salaries?

2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00January 25th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

As 2016 came to a close, TWC2 trawled through the website of the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to see what prosecutions have been listed there through the year. MOM issues press releases whenever an employer has been sentenced in court. TWC2 found twelve mentions in MOM's website through 2016. The list is shown further down. What

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15 01, 2017

TWC2 survey: starting salaries for migrant workers flatlined for the last 10 years

2019-08-30T16:31:35+08:00January 15th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

Starting basic salaries for first-time workers from India and Bangladesh have remained more or less static since 2006, averaging slightly under Singapore dollars 600 per month. However, when adjusted for inflation, a downward trend is seen, and thus, in terms of Singapore purchasing power, average basic salaries have declined about 20% since 2006. The above

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