Foreign Domestic Workers Salary Survey – Singapore – 2016 Edition

Domestic workers in Singapore earn S$597 on average, according to a data survey by HelperChoice, the global online platform that helps employers to connect with domestic workers.

The mean salary in Singapore is 8.5% higher than the minimum wages for Filipino and Indonesian domestic workers, which are currently set at S$550.

In a survey of HelperChoice’s key markets in Asia, the company analysed data from about 2,000 job ads posted on its platform by employers in recent months.

Since HelperChoice’s launch in 2012, about 80,000 domestic workers have joined the platform along with 25,000 employers. HelperChoice makes the hiring process more efficient for employers and fairer to domestic workers – by providing them with a way to access to the job market for free instead of paying very high and unjustified placement fees to agents.

“While the survey shows that domestic workers tend to earn more in Hong Kong than in Singapore, the monthly cost to employers is in many cases higher in Singapore when also considering the city-state’s foreign worker levy,” says HelperChoice founder Laurence Fauchon.

Hong Kong scrapped its version of the levy three years ago.

The standard levy is S$265 in Singapore, though many residents – for example, those with Singaporean children under 16 years of age – qualify for the concessionary rate of S$60.

According to HelperChoice’s survey, domestic workers earn S$766 on average in Hong Kong, which has a minimum wage for foreign domestic workers of S$734.

In comparison, the average monthly cost to those employers in Singapore who pay the standard levy is S$862. Important to note is that this comparison does not take into account other necessary costs in Hong Kong and Singapore, such as medical and insurance fees. As such, the total cost to employers varies on a case-by-case basis.

Based on the results of HelperChoice’s Middle East survey, domestic workers in Singapore earn slightly higher salaries compared to their counterparts in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Like Singapore, these countries have no official minimum wage in place for foreign domestic workers – whose base rate is determined by the laws of their home countries. Despite this, the average pay was strikingly similar between Singapore, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The mean salary offered to domestic workers in the UAE was S$586, while in Qatar it was S$584 and in Saudi Arabia it was S$582. In Kuwait, which recently became the first country in the Gulf region to introduce labour laws for foreign domestic workers, the average wage was S$528.

Most of HelperChoice’s registered employers, whether locals or expats, search for domestic workers who are able to care for young children or for pets, in addition to performing usual household duties.

Conclusion

Singapore remains a competitive and regulated market for domestic worker salaries, with overall costs shaped by the levy and employer requirements. Staying informed about real salary trends helps ensure fair, transparent hiring.

Looking to hire responsibly? Browse verified helper profiles on HelperChoice today — no placement fees for workers, ever.