“Why do migrant workers pay thousands of dollars to work in Singapore?”

…Migrant workers … pay thousands of dollars to intermediaries to work in Singapore, for a chance at a better life.

Yet … they find themselves in situations where jobs are unlike what they were led to believe…

…CNA reported that Bangladeshi worker Jaynal MD had paid an agent based in Singapore almost S$7,000 for a job, but found himself without one after coming over.

…Mr Jaynal's in-principle approval…letter … identified Fresh Milk Suppliers – which trades as DairyFolks – as his employer.

His IPA letter also identified the local agent as IM Employment Agency.

IM Employment did not respond to CNA’s request for a response. DairyFolks had also declined to comment when contacted previously…

…Migrant workers in the semiconductor industry do not pay any agent fees in "99 per cent" of cases, as their employers cover the costs, said … director of business development at Wanco Manpower.

She said this is because semiconductor manufacturers supply multinational corporations like Apple, which are part of … the Responsible Business Alliance….

Dr Yeo said that on five to 10 occasions in the past five years, Eight Stones Recruitment was approached by foreign recruiters that turned out to be holding fake licences…