2025年4月8日，新加坡人力部高級政務部長許寶琨在國會口頭答覆楊厝港單選區議員葉漢榮有關確保外籍勞工住房充足且具韌性的長期戰略問題。
以下內容為新加坡眼根據國會英文資料翻譯整理：
葉漢榮（楊厝港單選區議員）問人力部長：鑒於專用宿舍高入住率及近期部分宿舍關閉，人力部將採取哪些長期戰略確保外籍勞工住房充足且具韌性？
許寶琨（人力部高級政務部長，代表人力部長答覆）：議長先生，政府持續與宿舍行業密切合作以增加床位供應。具體措施包括：在可行情況下延長現有宿舍租約、允許有空置空間的專用宿舍（PBD）在符合現行標準下提高入住容量，以及簡化工廠改建宿舍（FCD）與臨時工人宿舍,如臨時居住許可宿舍(Temporary Occupation Licence Quarters）的申請流程，以擴大供應來源。
未來幾年，市場將新增六座專用宿舍，共提供約45,000個床位，其中包括人力部在裕廊都康新建的2,400床位專用宿舍，預計2026年初啟用。
雖然政府已採取措施擴大宿舍床位供應，但如果對工作許可證持有者的需求有增無減，這種做法將難以為繼。因此，我們呼籲僱主通過提升生產力減少對外籍勞工的依賴。
議長：有請葉漢榮議員。
葉漢榮（楊厝港單選區議員）：感謝議長先生。感謝高級政務部長的回答。在提升宿舍宜居標準（包括更嚴格的監管要求）背景下，人力部如何平衡工人福利保障與企業合規成本？如何確保監管升級以高性價比、分階段方式實施？
許寶琨（人力部高級政務部長，代表人力部長答覆）：議長先生，宿舍轉型計劃採取分階段推進模式。我們綜合考慮工人數量峰值與現有床位供應，逐步將現有宿舍過渡至新標準，避免因轉型導致供應短缺。
同時，通過新建宿舍（如前述45,000床位計劃）注入新供應，並與新加坡宿舍協會合作，促進有空置床位的宿舍與需求企業匹配。此舉既能實現宿舍標準升級，又能穩定市場供需平衡。
隨著供需趨穩，宿舍價格已逐步趨緩，過去一年趨勢印證了這一效果。
以下是英文質詢內容：
Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Manpower in light of the high occupancy rates and recent closures of purpose-built dormitories, what is the Ministry's long-term strategy to ensure sufficient and resilient housing for foreign workers.
The Senior Minister of State for Manpower (Dr Koh Poh Koon) (for the Minister for Manpower): Sir, the Government has been working closely with the dormitory industry to increase dormitory bed supply. This includes extending the leases of expiring dormitories where feasible, as well as enabling existing purpose-built dormitories (PBDs) with excess space to increase their occupancy load, while meeting prevailing dormitory housing standards. We have also been streamlining and facilitating applications for new Factory-Converted Dormitories and temporary workers' quarters, such as Temporary Occupation Licence Quarters to provide more sources of bed supply.
Over the next few years, six new PBDs with around 45,000 beds will also be added to the market, including the Ministry of Manpower's 2,400-bed PBD in Jalan Tukang, set to be operational in early 2026.
While the Government has put in place measures to expand dormitory bed supply, this will not be sustainable if demand for work permit holders grows unabatedly. So, we urge employers to adopt productivity measures to reduce their reliance on migrant workers.
Mr Speaker: Mr Yip.
Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Senior Minister of State for his reply. With the push towards better living standards in our dormitories, including stricter regulatory requirements, how does the Ministry strike a balance between safeguarding workers' welfare and avoiding excessive compliance costs for businesses? What efforts are in place to ensure that the regulatory upgrades are implemented in a cost effective and phased manner?
Dr Koh Poh Koon: Sir, I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. Briefly, the dormitory transition plan is a phased approach. We take into account the peak numbers of workers at any point in time as well as the existing available number of bed spaces, so that we stage the transition of existing dormitories to new standards in a phased manner, to make sure that as we take the transition of existing dormitories, we do not end up causing a supply shortage.
At the same time, we are also injecting new supply, as I said in my main reply. Together, this will ensure adequate supply, even as we require dormitories to transition to newer standards. And so, it is a progressive approach. We keep in close contact with the Dormitory Association of Singapore Limited, so that we hear the industry's voice constantly. They are also helping us connect employers who may need bed spaces for their workers to those dormitories that have excess spaces, so there is a matching effort that takes place at the industry level. With that, I think we can transit to the desired dormitory standards over time, without impacting too much of dormitory supply.
Over time, as the supply and demand balance is achieved, we will see dormitory prices stabilising. In fact, that has been the case over the past year.
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