Employment agents, agent fees
3
10, 2020
Monzurul accumulates wealth — of English words
Over three jobs in Singapore, Monzurul got richer in his English vocabulary, not so much in the bank.
20
09, 2020
Paying off a bank loan should be easy, until it is not
To fund the required recruitment fee for his job, Habibur took a loan from Brac Bank. Even from the beginning, the repayment demands looked tight. Then the unexpected happened.
15
09, 2020
Fickle fortunes
Nahid's first job turned out relatively well, but he hadn't gone home to see his family in five years. So he resigned and, soon after, had to look for another job.
7
09, 2020
Where was your illegal recruiter? “In Singapore,” say Kamrul and Majumder
Kamrul and Majumder share something important: both their illegal recruiters were based here in Singapore. In Majumder's case, an additional payment was demanded by someone in the company.
7
08, 2020
Loan amount goes up, up and away
Shafiqul borrowed 200,000 taka from a bank to finance his recruitment cost. He now owes 250,000.
2
08, 2020
Kibria and Selim held hostage by Singapore’s underground economy
Selim and Kibria, not paid for their previous jobs, are looking for new ones. They talk about inescapable demands for money from agents, supervisors and bosses.
29
07, 2020
Boss wanted to deduct $500 for one day’s absence
Sharif wasn't feeling well and wanted to rest in his room rather than go to work. As many employers of migrant workers do, a fine was to be imposed for absence.
27
07, 2020
Recruitment reform — what needs to be done
A short explainer about how corrupted the recruitment system has become for migrant workers and the two key measures needed to reform the eco-system.
24
07, 2020
A precarious life: 4 years, 5 jobs
Sharif has had five jobs in Singapore over four years. Has work migration been a path to a better life for this young father and his family?
18
07, 2020
“Have you got the $2,000 ready for me?”
$2,000 is cheap as far as recruiters' fees go, but just as easily lost. Razzak's story is unfortunately as common as dirty money in the migrant labour market.