May 1, 2024

As we mark Labour Day on 1st May, we are reminded of the migrant workers whose labour Singapore is dependent on.

In their chapter ‘Urban Liveability and Low-wage Migrants in Pandemic Times’ in Migrant Workers in Singapore: Lives and Labour in a Transient Migration Regime (World Scientific, 2022), Professor Tim Bunnell (NUS Geography and Asia Research Institute) and Associate Professor Laavanya Kathiravelu (NTU Sociology) shed light on the pressing concerns surrounding migrant workers in Singapore during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the COVID-19 pandemic was devastating for all, Prof Bunnell and A/P Kathiravelu highlight that the outbreak in Singapore’s migrant dormitories revealed stark disparities in urban experiences, which are undoubtedly influenced by socio-economic and immigration status. The authors revisit their 2016 paper titled ‘Extending Urban Liveability: Friendship and Sociality in the Lives of Low-wage Migrants’ (International Development Planning Review) and advocate for an inclusive application of ‘liveability’ to all city inhabitants, reflecting also on how, in the wake of the pandemic, ‘liveability’ has become a vision that is further from realization.

Central to their argument is the significance of affective and emotional social networks. The authors highlight the trust within migrant communities and emphasise their role in disseminating information, providing emotional support, and fostering coping mechanisms during crises. These affective and emotional social networks were undermined by the forced isolation faced by migrant workers during the pandemic, underscoring the need to bolster them.

Prof Bunnell and A/P Kathiravelu also posit the importance of infrastructures of friendship and sociality. While many discussions have focused on the physical living conditions of migrant workers, the authors encourage both policymakers and the general public to think more broadly about the issues these workers face. They hence stress the importance of allowing migrant workers the freedom to move about and interact freely within the city.

Lastly, the authors champion the cultivation of a ‘culture of hospitality.’ They explain that urban spaces fostering conviviality and hospitality can bridge the chasm between locals and migrants. Prof Bunnell and A/P Kathiravelu believe that such spaces not only resonate as sites of encounter, but can also fortify a city’s collective response to crises.

In conclusion, this book chapter is a timely reflection on the disparities unveiled by the COVID-19 pandemic. It advocates for a holistic approach to liveability, emphasizing emotional networks, infrastructures of friendship, and a culture of hospitality as pivotal to fostering inclusivity in urban spaces.

Read the chapter here.