Migrant workers, key to Singapore’s economy, are vulnerable to demands for payments to secure jobs, the Ministry of Manpower (MoM) has warned as employment lawyers encourage businesses to create strong whistleblowing cultures to help root out bribery.

The MoM took action against an average of 102 employers a year because of individuals taking kickbacks from migrants between 2016 and 2020, according to data released last week. On average, there were around five workers affected per employer.