Supporting migrant workers in Singapore during COVID-19

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have undeniably been widespread. In Singapore, these ramifications have been deeply felt by residents – but migrant workers, who make up a third of the country’s labor force, have been hit especially hard.

The crisis has magnified the vulnerability of these workers, whose risk of infection is exacerbated by overcrowded living quarters, poor nutrition, limited access to healthcare, low wages, and in some cases, discrimination. The statistics say it all: today, almost 95 percent of Singapore’s 54,000+ coronavirus cases are concentrated in migrant worker dormitories. And it is not just the workers’ physical wellbeing that is at stake; prolonged confinement and job uncertainties have taken a toll on their mental health, too. Late last year, there was an uptick in suicides and attempted suicides among the migrant worker community.

At Bloomberg, we are committed to giving back to the cities in which we live and work – and this includes addressing unmet needs in our communities. Last year, we launched a series of both company- and employee-led initiatives to support Singapore’s migrant workers through COVID-19. “We wanted to support the migrant worker community, which was the worst affected at the height of the pandemic,” said Vandna Ramchandani, APAC Head of Corporate Philanthropy at Bloomberg. “We were especially heartened by the efforts of our employees, who have been extremely generous with their time and money. Giving back to the community has been a hallmark of working in Bloomberg and we are grateful for this opportunity to collaborate with our partners to help migrant workers.”

Below, we highlight some of these initiatives:

Partnership with Ray of Hope and ItsRainingRaincoats

Migrant worker welfare has come under the spotlight in recent months, and this is something that the social initiative ItsRainingRaincoats (IRR) is seeking to address. With the help of local charity Ray of Hope, we partnered with IRR to donate various necessities that many migrant workers may lack. These included hygiene kits, comprising essentials such as masks and hand sanitizers; electronics products such as laptops, table fans and washing machines; 5,000 backpacks, raincoats, and more. In addition, Bloomberg donated around 20,000 data cards to the initiative’s Stay in Touch campaign, helping workers connect with their loved ones back home during this isolating time.

In addition to essentials like hygiene kits and electronics, we saw that there was an opportunity to provide workers with nutritious meals. Our partnership with IRR thus included a donation of 3,850 meals via WhyQ, a hawker food delivery platform. Also, during the cultural festival of Deepavali (also referred to as Diwali) last November, Bloomberg sponsored 5,000 samosas and 1,000 pizzas to make the occasion just that little bit more special for the workers celebrating it.

“Singapore has nearly 1 million migrant workers, and this was the vulnerable group that was caught in the eye of the COVID-19 storm. As IRR was struggling to help their vast needs, Bloomberg came to our rescue and sponsored a number of essential items that helped thousands of workers endure the worst of the pandemic a little more comfortably,” said Dipa Swaminathan, founder of IRR. “We are very grateful to Bloomberg for the support and look forward to working together in 2021 and beyond.”

Partnership with TWC2

In the event of salary disputes or workplace injuries, workers are unable to perform their daily duties and thus are not paid. This waiting period can mean that many are unable to afford regular meals. Local non-profit organization Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) runs a meal program, The Cuff Road Project, which provides such workers with a free breakfast and dinner every weekday. Through this program, we sponsored 2,600 servings of food, which helped to feed 80 workers for slightly over a month. In addition, we donated data cards and essential supplies such as toiletries and medication to other migrant workers quarantined in dormitories.

Partnership with Gardens by the Bay

Many migrant workers have not had the opportunity to fully enjoy Singapore’s major sights despite working in the city for many years. To help remedy this, Bloomberg made a donation to Gardens by the Bay’s “Gift of Gardens” outreach program, which enables individuals from underserved communities to visit the park’s ticketed attractions, such as the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest, for free. While the initiative was previously reserved for underprivileged Singaporeans, Bloomberg requested to open it to migrant workers, who got to spend an afternoon admiring the gardens’ colorful blooms and towering Supertrees.

Partnership with The Majurity Trust’s Scaffold Fund

A recent study found that Singaporeans generally have limited interactions with migrant workers, which could perpetuate misinformation about – and discrimination towards – the community. This is the driving force behind The Majurity Trust’s Scaffold Fund, a S$500,000 collective fund that will support ground-up initiatives promoting mutual trust between locals and migrant workers.

Bloomberg is proud to be one of the seed funders of the Scaffold Fund, which officially launched on March 1st, 2021. While changing public attitudes will undoubtedly take time, we hope that increased engagement with migrant workers can help tackle the negative stereotypes associated with the community, leading to greater understanding and acceptance.

Employee-led initiatives

Many Bloomberg employees in Singapore have also rallied to support the migrant worker community by donating essentials such as face masks and electronics. For instance, in response to a campaign by MaskForce Singapore, Sue Hoon from the News team spent hours sewing masks for migrant workers. Similarly, Firdaus Muhd from the Corporate Philanthropy team helped to source 1,000 masks, which were donated to three dormitories.

Another group of Bloomberg Singapore employees arranged for the donation of power strips to five dormitories, helping migrant workers stay connected while in lockdown. Following this, they donated 6,000 sachets of instant coffee to perk up the mornings of 600 workers building a housing project in the Woodleigh neighborhood.

Ruth Mirasol from BloombergNEF also held a fundraising bake sale, to great success. All proceeds were donated to the Stay in Touch campaign, translating to more data cards for migrant workers.

Improving migrant worker welfare in Singapore is a collective effort that requires action and ownership from every level of society – from governments to corporations to local communities. By tapping into the resources of our business and the generosity of our employees, we hope to build a more inclusive Singapore for all – as well as underscore our larger commitment to improving lives around the world.