Singapore’s Manpower Ministry (MOM) is to crack down on unlicensed recruitment agencies hiring foreign workers.

MOM says that last year it received 1,280 complaints from employers, foreign workers and members of the public concerning employment agency malpractices - up 80% on the year before.

The Channel News Asia website reports that MOM is committed to raising the standards and accountability of employment agency staff, while increasing penalties for some offences and imposing fines relative to potential gains from malpractice.

Lee Yi Shyan, minister of state for Manpower, says: “By making it an offence for persons to knowingly engage an unlicensed employment agency, we intend to break the collusions involving kickbacks between employment agencies and errant employers.”

“The maximum penalty for operating an employment agency without a licence at S$5,000 pales in comparison to the fees that some foreign workers pay to come to Singapore. We can all look forward to many progressive changes to the employment agencies regulatory framework in this coming year.

“We hope to ensure better compliance and improve the standard of recruitment practices among employment agencies in Singapore. In doing so, Singapore will remain a choice destination for experienced and skilled foreign workers.”