How improved worker dorms offer relief but still lack support

Singapore is implementing stricter standards for migrant worker dormitories to improve health and living conditions, but concerns remain over unresolved issues such as limited access to essential services, inadequate transport options, and poor food quality.

Under the Dormitory Transition Scheme (DTS), dormitories can only have less than 12 residents per room, and beds should have more than one-metre spacing between each other. Previously, there was no limit on residents per room and no requirement for spacing between beds. The DTS now mandates that each resident in the dormitories must have at least 3.6 sqm of living space, a slight adjustment from the previous 3.5 sqm. The interim standards are to be followed by a more comprehensive set of standards by 2040.