MOM's Household Services Scheme sees promising success as millennial home ownership rise

SINGAPORE,Nov. 5,2019 -- Helpling,Singapore's leading on-demand home services platform,today revealed survey results that highlighted massive business benefits resulting from the Household Services Scheme (HSS),including significant double-digit revenue growth in its partner cleaning companies.

Launched in 2018,the HSS is a pilot Ministry of Manpower programme that eases restrictions on hiring foreigners for part-time cleaning services. In addition to business benefits,the HSS has also led to more ethical terms of employment and higher quality of life for foreign helpers.

According to the Helpling survey,partner cleaning companies participating in the HSS has reaped at least 75 percent revenue growth in the past twelve months alone. One company in particular reported a staggering 1500 percent increase in revenue.

The HSS has also received widespread support from the foreign helpers themselves. The HSS survey revealed that 97 percent of helpers employed under the HSS prefer their current status as an employee under a cleaning company than their previous role as domestic live-in maids.

"Home ownership and rental among millennials continue to rise. These demographics value privacy and most of them veer towards more cost-effective part-time helpers instead of a live-in one," said Jingjing Zhong,Head of Operations at Helpling Singapore. "However,cleaning companies are traditionally overwhelmed by the demand for part-time household cleaning services due to strict laws governing the employment of foreigners for such purposes."

"Helpling's survey results show that the HSS has greatly alleviated the manpower pressure off our partner companies. They have been able to hire cleaners from countries like India,Myanmar,Sri Lanka and Thailand,allowing them to fill roles traditionally shunned by Singaporeans," Ms Zhong added. "We are also heartened to see an improvement in the quality of life of all our partner helpers. They are now able to enjoy fairer terms of employment as well as greater power over their own lifestyle."

HSS empowers part-time helpers to feel human

The HSS has also received widespread support from the helpers themselves.

Out of the foreign cleaners that Helpling polled,87 percent had prior experience working as full time domestic workers in Singapore. Among this group of respondents,97 percent expressed an overwhelming preference for employment a foreign worker under the HSS compared to a domestic live-in one. They report feeling empowered with a sense of control and agency over their own lives.

Mostly,the helpers delight in being able to completely relax after work (80 percent) instead of having to "pretend" to continue working as a live-in maid,having their own personal space where they live (38 percent),and having the freedom to choose what they eat (38 percent).

Having a dignified life that's fully within their control leads to higher productivity,motivating them to work harder and earn more in the process. Furthermore,as proper employees with basic worker rights,the helpers are able to walk away from customers whom they feel may be rude,unreasonable,or abusive.

"Working independently for myself allows me to feel more human instead of a modern-day slave," summed up Htet,a Burmese helper. "I hope the scheme will continue to provide people like me with opportunities to offer our services in Singapore.

Adding a digital transformation layer to local cleaning companies

The HSS,however,is just one piece of the puzzle.

Rio Goh,Director at Ministry of Clean said,"It goes without saying that adding more contractors to our workforce increases the complexity of our business. It also takes considerable resources to manage a large number of workers serving thousands of customers. How do we decide which cleaner goes to which house on any particular day? What is the most efficient route for each cleaner to take? All these factors greatly complicate matters."

100 percentof partner cleaning companies surveyed unanimously agreed that simply leveraging the HSS and blindly hire more foreign workers is not a sound long-term strategy,given the operational challenges of managing a larger workforce.

To maximise the benefits of the HSS,many cleaning companies turned to Helpling. The Berlin-based start-up provides a trusted digital layer to help them enhance their operational efficiency,offering software tools like calendaring and scheduling,online payments and invoicing,payroll management,and more.

Helpling also shares the responsibility of interviewing and vetting potential helpers before onboarding them to its platform. Cleaning companies also appreciate the co-marketing efforts offered by Helpling,which helps them save on additional costs.

Today,Helpling works with 5 local cleaning companies,who command an army of more than 200 helpers under the HSS serving thousands of Singapore households.

"Our growth over the past year would have been impossible without Helpling," Bryan Goh,Director at A1 Facility Services added. "Helpling has been essential to easing much of our operating and marketing costs and we look forward to a deeper partnership as the household cleaning industry continues to grow."

About the study

Helpling polled more than 200 helpers registered on the Helpling platform and working under the HSS. The company also surveyed 2,000 customers and conducted in-depth interviews with partner cleaning companies to gain insights into how their operations have evolved with the implementation of HSS.

About Helpling

Helpling is the leading online marketplace for home services outside the US. On the website or via app,customers can book a vetted and insured cleaner and gain back free time within a couple of clicks. For the service providers,the platform makes it easier than ever to access new clients and to manage when and where they want to work.

Helpling was founded in early 2014 by Benedikt Franke and Philip Huffmann. Among its investors are Mangrove Capital,Lakestar,APACIG,Rocket Internet and Unilever Ventures. Helpling offers its services in 10 countries: Australia,Germany,Italy,France,Ireland,UK,UAE,the Netherlands,Singapore and Switzerland.

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