JISEAS Issue Paper No. 21

"Migrant Workers and Civil Society in Singapore"

by Jooyoung KIM

Abstract

This paper is a record of a short fieldwork on the issue of migrant workers and civil society that I conducted in Singapore from August 9 to 19, 2022. It contains the stories of the government, civil society organizations, and migrant workers’ communities. The government uses Our Migrant Workers Gallery as a venue to reveal the desired state of migrant workers, employer-employee’s relationship, and a systematic response to COVID-19. In this process, the difficulties experienced by migrant workers disappear, and the criticism of civil society is not visible. Civil society is composed of a complex landscape: many charitable organizations have close ties with the government, and there is a lack of room for civil society organizations that are critical to the government policies. Migrant workers’ communities emphasize the empowerment of migrant workers and create an environment where even limited resistance is possible. However, there is little awareness about the health and medical coverage of migrant workers, or there is still a limit to thinking in the framework of employer’s responsibility.

* Please find the attached file for JISEAS Issue Paper No. 21.