Hiring a Freelancer This Festive Season? Here's Why It Pays to Check Before You Book

Hiring a Freelancer This Festive Season? Here's Why It Pays to Check Before You Book

The year-end period is always busy. Whether it's events, holiday enrichment programmes, content projects, private-hire rides, or deliveries, the demand for freelance services tends to spike.

But before you book, consider the risks of engaging the wrong freelancer.

What's at Stake for You as a Customer
When you engage a freelancer without valid credentials or work permits, the consequences fall on you.

If the job goes wrong, you have no recourse. If they disappear, you have no accountability. If an accident happens, basic protections like insurance may not be in place. And under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA), engaging foreign workers without valid work passes is illegal, which means you could be on the wrong side of the law.

For local freelancers playing by the rules, illegal operators also make it harder to earn a fair living.

This is not just about creative work. Illegal ride-hailing and delivery work carry similar risks. The lack of permits and insurance poses a safety and accountability risk to the public and threatens the livelihoods of licensed drivers and riders.

Championing Fair Engagement Practices
Engaging foreign freelancers without legal work permits has come under the spotlight this year.
In September, the Visual, Audio, Creative Content Professionals Association [Singapore] (VICPA) issued a joint advisory with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to address the issue. 

The advisory made clear that engaging foreign freelancers without valid work passes to provide photography, videography, and make-up services for weddings in Singapore is illegal and constitutes a contravention of EFMA.

NTUC Freelancer, which represents and supports Singapore's freelance and self-employed community, fully supports this effort.

The Platform Workers Trilateral Workgroup was also set up in July 2025 to step up enforcement on illegal cross-border services and illegal point-to-point services. Since then, over 140 vehicles have been impounded for illegal ride-hailing. The Workgroup has also put forward 10 recommendations to safeguard the livelihoods of platform workers, including stricter penalties.

Our Commitment to Fair Engagement Practices
At NTUC Freelancer, we have been pushing for fair and transparent engagement practices for years. Since 2018, we have championed the Tripartite Standard on Contracting with Self-Employed Persons (TS-SEP). 

We continue to stand with NTUC-affiliated associations—the National Instructors and Coaches Association (NICA), Visual, Audio, Creative Content Professionals Association [Singapore] (VICPA), the National Taxi Association (NTA), National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA), and National Delivery Champions Association (NDCA)—in supporting the livelihoods of freelancers and platform workers.

Hire Verified Freelancers with Confidence
If you are looking to engage a freelancer, check out the NTUC Freelancer Directory. You will find verified professionals who follow our code of ethics, modelled after the principles of TS-SEP.

Access the NTUC Freelancer Directory here: https://www.ntuc.org.sg/freelancer/freelancer-directory/find-a-professional

This festive season, let's all do our part. Choosing verified freelancers protects you, ensures accountability, and supports self-employed and freelancers who follow the rules, because Every Worker Matters.