New-generation handymen get smart in the home

Although digitization is the trend, some areas of the home still require the services of traditional handymen for tasks such as plumbing and repairing appliances.

Before COVID-19 took hold in Singapore, many of these jobs were done by handymen from overseas, but with borders closed since March last year due to the pandemic, employers in the sector have found it difficult to recruit workers to help them expand business.

According to a recent report in The Straits Times, the number of non-resident workers employed in Singapore fell by 181,500 last year.

Evorich, a Singaporean company established in 2003, which specializes in flooring installation and repairs, is one of the businesses facing a shortage of Malaysian workers.

Dennis Teo, the company's founder, said that in addition to laying floor tiles, a significant part of the company's work involves repairing floorboards and tiles damaged by accidents or through wear and tear.

At its peak in 2019, Evorich employed more than 70 skilled handymen from Malaysia, Vietnam and other countries. There are now some 50 blue-collar foreign workers on the payroll－eight of them Malaysians.

"I would like to employ at least four or five more Malaysian workers so that the company is able to meet project deadlines," Teo, 46, said. "Since the pandemic arrived, we have not been able to accelerate the maintenance and repair work for which we depend on our Malaysian handymen."

Low Hun Mong, 55, the founder of Mong Lee Renovation Contractor, who has been in the business since 1990, said he has faced difficulties for the past 20 years in hiring younger Singaporeans.

"Handyman and renovation jobs are too hard and sweaty for most Singaporeans," he said.

Low currently employs a Singaporean in his 50s and three younger workers from Malaysia, India and Bangladesh for tasks such as clearing clogged pipes, repairing toilets and demolishing walls.

Alfred Tan, 69, who has worked in the trade for nearly 40 years, said, "There is good money to be made, as home owners always need help with a faulty switch or a leaky tap, but you need to get your hands dirty and you have to deal with all kinds of people who are not happy to pay for the time taken to do the repairs."