PUBLISHED ONSeptember 26, 2025 6:42 AMBYChing Shi JieExcessive checks against foreigners working illegally as delivery riders are unsustainable and risk inconveniencing customers, Senior Minister of State for Manpower Koh Poh Koon said in Parliament on Friday (Sept 26).
He added that a "balance and calibrated approach" would be for delivery platforms to conduct their own checks, such as random facial recognition for riders on their mobile applications throughout the day.
Dr Koh was responding to parliamentary questions from MPs, including Leader of Opposition Pritam Singh, on foreigners working illegally on delivery platforms.
The senior minister of state said that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) receives an average of 50 complaints of illegal platform work each year since 2023, with the number of enforcement checks ramped up over the past few months.
Out of the 644 delivery workers checked in more than 30 hot spots islandwide since July, four foreigners were caught without a valid work pass.
But Dr Koh cautioned that "excessive" enforcement checks at hot spots, where “huge crowds” of such workers congregate during peak hours, can lead to unintended “side effects”.
Riders are required to "remove their helmets, balaclavas, face masks, and sunshades" before officers verify their identities against the delivery platforms' mobile apps and their personal details on SingPass.
Each check can take up to 10 minutes per rider, said Dr Koh, adding that it creates a bottleneck as other riders are forced to wait until they pass the checks.
"So, there’s a problem with them meeting their delivery timelines and consumers at the other end will also have delays receiving their food," he said.
"There is a cost that the system has to bear and a lot of inconvenience for the workers themselves and to the consumers."
In July, a trilateral work group was formed to address the issue of foreigners working illegally as delivery riders, and how it affects the earnings of local platform workers.
The group, consisting of MOM, the Ministry of Transport and Grab Singapore, as well as the National Trades Union Congress and its affiliated associations, aims to submit its recommendations by the end of the year.
On Friday, Dr Koh said that one of the recommendations is for food delivery platforms to require new users to verify themselves through facial recognition, so that “they know the account actually belongs to someone with a proper reason”.
"There is now a commitment to do more random audits throughout the day as their shift progresses,” he added. “I think with this, it will be a strong deterrence for a non-legitimate user to use a registered person’s account."
Only Singapore citizens and permanent residents are allowed to work as delivery riders for companies like Grab, Deliveroo and foodpanda.
Foreigners who work illegally without valid work passes face a fine not exceeding $20,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both.
MOM had previously said that upon conviction, these individuals will be permanently barred from working in Singapore.
Platform companies or any local delivery riders found to have abetted illegal employment by allowing foreigners to use their accounts may also face the same penalties.
[[nid:722338]]
chingshijie@asiaone.com
