Singapore Budget 2026: Why Migrant Worker Issues Matter
Every year, Singapore’s Budget sets out how public money is spent, what the Government’s priorities are, and who will receive support in the year ahead. While it may seem technical, the Budget has a real impact on our daily life, from the cost of living and job security to healthcare, housing, and social protection.
As we prepare for the 2026 Budget announcement on 12 January 2026, HOME believes it is important to ask a simple question: who is included when we talk about progress, jobs, and the economy?
Low-wage migrant workers are essential to Singapore’s growth and stability. Yet their needs and vulnerabilities are often missing from Budget conversations. This article explains why that matters and what HOME hopes to see.
Why should we care about the Budget? What can we do?
The Budget is one of the most important moments in Singapore’s policymaking calendar. It is when the Government announces its plans and priorities for the year ahead.
Decisions made in the Budget affect:
taxes and household costs,
wages and employment conditions,
public services such as healthcare and transport,
financial assistance and social support,
and job creation across sectors.
The Budget is also about accountability. It shows how public money was spent in the previous year, and how it will be spent in the coming year. These are public resources — our resources. If someone is going to spend your money, wouldn't you want to know how and why?
As individuals, there are several ways we can participate in the process:
Taking part in the annual Budget feedback exercise organised by REACH.
Speaking to our Members of Parliament, whom we elect to represent our concerns.
Giving feedback directly to public agencies.
Supporting civil society organisations like HOME, which research issues, work directly with affected communities, and engage policymakers on the public’s behalf.
Public input may not change everything overnight, but it shapes what issues are taken seriously and whose voices are heard.
What do migrant workers have to do with the Budget?
Migrant workers are a vital part of Singapore’s economy and society.
There are approximately 1.6 million migrant workers living and working in Singapore. Their labour powers key sectors such as construction, shipyards, manufacturing, sanitation, caregiving, retail, and food services. In practical terms, their work helps generate the economic activity that makes the national Budget possible each year.
Migrant workers are also an indirect source of government revenue. In 2024 alone, the Government collected over S$6 billion in foreign worker levies, a figure that has grown steadily since 2020.
Beyond economics, migrant workers are critical to everyday life in Singapore. They help run hospitals, preschools, and eldercare facilities. They clean public spaces, staff restaurants and shops, and care for children, persons with disabilities, and elderly family members.
Policies that affect migrant workers therefore do not affect them alone — they shape the quality of life in Singapore for everyone.
What does HOME hope to see in the Budget?
HOME hopes migrant workers will be meaningfully included under the Budget’s three stated priorities.
1. Advancing Our Economy
Many migrant workers begin their jobs already burdened by high recruitment fees and debt. This makes them more vulnerable to exploitation and reduces their ability to leave abusive or exploitative employment. It also undermines the development of a stable, skilled, and productive workforce.
From HOME’s casework experience:
Many migrant domestic workers (MDWs) take 6–8 months to repay recruitment fees, sometimes surviving on as little as S$50 per month during this period.
For construction workers, it can take up to 24 months to repay loans taken to secure a job.
At the same time, migrant workers are generally unable to change jobs without their employer’s permission. When experienced and skilled workers want to change employers at the end of their contracts, some spiteful employers may repatriate them abruptly, resulting in a loss of critical experienced workforce.
What HOME hopes to see:
Stronger cross-border regulation to eradicate recruitment fees and debt bondage.
Clearer accountability across recruitment supply chains.
The right for migrant workers to switch jobs freely, with clearly defined notice periods to ensure a competitive working environment free of abuse and exploitation.
2. Securing Good Jobs
Each year, HOME handles an average of 2,500 salary and workplace injury cases. When enforcement of salary orders, compensation, and upkeep obligations is slow or weak, workers bear the costs, losing income while waiting months or even years for cases to be resolved. In some cases, employers do not provide acceptable accommodation and food for the workers while during this process.
Migrant workers are also exposed to unsafe transport practices, such as being transported on the back of lorries to and from their worksites. Many are also subject to substandard housing which do not meet MOM’s New Dormitory Standards.
What HOME hopes to see:
Better resourcing for timely wage recovery, injury compensation, and upkeep for workers awaiting case resolution.
Safer transport standards and enforcement, including concrete steps toward banning the transport of migrant workers on lorries, alongside financial support for businesses to transition to safer alternatives.
Regular monitoring and enforcement of dormitory standards, informed by direct worker feedback
3. Uplifting Singaporeans to Progress Together
Migrant workers, especially caregivers and migrant domestic workers, play a critical role in supporting children, persons with disabilities, and the elderly. Yet many do so without adequate training, rest, or mental health support.
As Singapore moves toward becoming a super-aged society, building a resilient and well-supported caregiving workforce is essential.
In 2025, HOME saw a growing number of cases at our women’s shelter involving stress, burnout, and overwork among migrant caregivers. These cases point to wrongful placement, gaps in training and unrealistic expectations.
What HOME hopes to see:
Expanded labour protections and mental health support for migrant caregivers, including weekly 24-hour rest days for migrant domestic workers and dedicated helplines.
Formal recognition of caregiving as skilled, essential work, including the creation of a separate caregiving work pass with mandatory, comprehensive training requirements.
Progress together must include everyone
Budgets are not just about finance. They reflect values, priorities, and who is considered part of the national community and conversation.
Migrant workers are not invisible labour. They are contributors to Singapore’s economy, caregivers to our families, and part of the society we co-create. Taking their needs into account is essential to building a stronger, safer, and more resilient Singapore. HOME hopes for a more inclusive vision of progress from this year’s budget.
Published 9 Feb 2026