For companies employing migrant workers in Singapore, securing worker accommodation is not simply a matter of asking, “How many employees do we have today?” The number of dormitory beds your company actually needs depends on workforce movements, project schedules, recruitment plans, approved housing arrangements, attrition, and where employees are deployed.
Book too few beds and your company may face last-minute accommodation problems when workers arrive or projects ramp up. Commit to too many and you may carry unnecessary accommodation costs for months.
The better approach is to treat dormitory capacity as part of workforce planning, using confirmed occupancy, near-term manpower changes and a sensible operational reserve.
Why Bed Planning Matters for Employers in Singapore
Employers are responsible for ensuring that their foreign employees are housed in acceptable accommodation that meets applicable requirements. Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) states that employers must conduct due diligence when selecting housing. Dormitories that can house seven or more migrant workers are also subject to the Foreign Employee Dormitories Act (FEDA) licensing framework, according to the applicable requirements and exemptions.
Accommodation planning should therefore happen before a workforce shortage becomes an emergency. This is particularly important for project-based businesses. A construction project may mobilise dozens of workers at once. A manufacturing company may add another shift. Marine or process companies may move teams between worksites.
At the same time, employees may complete contracts, transfer to another project, return home or move to another approved housing arrangement.
As a result, the number of dormitory beds calculated three months ago may no longer represent what your business actually needs today.
Start with Workers Who Actually Need Dormitory Accommodation
The first number to calculate is not your total employee headcount. It is the number of workers who genuinely require a dormitory bed.
Current dormitory residents should be considered separately from incoming workers, internal transfers, confirmed departures, workers with other approved housing arrangements and temporary workers whose accommodation dates differ from your permanent workforce.
This prevents one of the most common workforce accommodation planning mistakes: assuming that employee headcount and dormitory bed requirements must always be identical.
For example, your company may employ 180 workers, but only 145 of them may require dormitory accommodation because the remaining employees have other valid accommodation arrangements.
If you begin your calculation at 180, you may immediately overestimate the number of beds required.
A Simple Formula for Calculating Dormitory Beds
A practical starting formula is: Required Beds = Current Workers Requiring Beds + Confirmed Incoming Workers + Confirmed Transfers + Operational Reserve – Confirmed Departures – Workers Moving to Other Approved Accommodation
The important word here is confirmed.
A potential project that may begin six months from now should not be treated in the same way as 25 workers who already have confirmed arrival dates.
Businesses can therefore maintain two separate figures.
- The first is the committed bed requirement — the number of beds required based on confirmed workforce movements.
- The second is the forecast bed requirement — the potential requirement if upcoming projects, tenders or recruitment plans proceed.
Separating the two makes discussions with dormitory operators more accurate and can reduce the risk of committing to unnecessary capacity too early.
Example: Calculating Beds for a Growing Workforce
Consider a contractor that currently has 100 workers requiring accommodation. Another 20 workers are confirmed to arrive, five workers will transfer into the team, and ten workers are confirmed to leave.
The immediate requirement would therefore be: 100 + 20 + 5 – 10 = 115 beds The company may then decide whether it wants to maintain a small operational reserve based on how predictable its manpower movements are.
For illustration, adding an 8% planning reserve would bring the working requirement to approximately 124 beds. Importantly, 8% is not a MOM requirement. It is simply an example of an internal workforce planning decision.
A company with a very stable headcount may require little additional capacity, while a contractor that regularly mobilises workers between projects may prefer greater flexibility.
The goal is not to book additional beds “just in case.” Any reserve should have a clear operational reason behind it.
Do Not Confuse Bed Capacity with Room Capacity
Another important distinction is the difference between the number of beds and the number of rooms.
Employers should not assume that a certain number of required beds can automatically be arranged into any preferred room configuration. Occupancy depends on the dormitory’s applicable licensing and housing standards.
Singapore is currently transitioning migrant worker dormitories towards newer accommodation standards.
In May 2026, MOM stated that approximately 30% of licensed dormitories were already operating under the New Dormitory Standards and housed 12 or fewer residents per room. Many older dormitories typically housed between 12 and 16 residents per room.
Under the Dormitory Transition Scheme, relevant existing dormitories are required to meet improved interim standards by 2030 and eventually the New Dormitory Standards by 2040.
For employers, the practical lesson is straightforward: Calculate how many beds your workforce requires first, then confirm the actual room configuration, licensed capacity and current availability directly with the dormitory operator.
Location Can Change How Many Beds You Need at Each Dormitory
A company with 300 workers does not necessarily need 300 beds at one property. If your workforce is deployed across several worksites, dividing accommodation according to operating location may make considerably more sense.
The objective is not simply to secure enough beds. Employers should also consider whether workers can travel efficiently between their accommodation and workplace.
Avery Dormitories currently operates four worker accommodation locations in Singapore: Avery Lodge at Jalan Papan, Kian Teck Dormitory, Tampines Dormitory and Woodlands Dormitory. Across the network, Avery states that it has a combined capacity of approximately 23,000 beds. The different locations also serve different industrial catchments.
Avery Lodge and Kian Teck Dormitory are positioned for businesses operating around Singapore’s western industrial areas. Tampines Dormitory serves companies requiring accommodation closer to eastern industrial clusters, while Woodlands Dormitory provides another option for businesses operating in the northern industrial area.
For companies with geographically distributed projects, it can therefore be more effective to calculate bed requirements by worksite rather than relying only on company-wide headcount.
Plan Around Recruitment and Project Mobilisation Dates
Timing can be just as important as quantity. Suppose your company requires 60 additional workers for a project beginning in November.
If 20 workers arrive in September, another 20 in October and the final 20 in November, securing all 60 additional beds from September may result in unnecessary accommodation expenses.
Waiting until November to arrange all 60 beds, however, may create unnecessary availability risk.
A better approach is to map accommodation demand against actual arrival and mobilisation dates.
In this example, the company may require 20 additional beds in September, 40 cumulative additional beds in October and the full 60 additional beds by November.
The requirement can then be reviewed again in December against actual project progress, recruitment and attrition.
This phased approach gives employers and accommodation providers a clearer basis for discussing move-in dates, contract commencement and future availability.
Review Dormitory Requirements Regularly
Dormitory bed planning should not be a once-a-year exercise. For businesses experiencing regular recruitment, project changes or workforce transfers, reviewing accommodation requirements monthly can provide a much clearer picture.
HR, operations and project teams should compare current occupied beds with upcoming arrivals, departures, project manpower forecasts and dormitory contract renewal dates.
A rolling 30-, 60- and 90-day accommodation forecast can help identify capacity gaps before they become urgent.
For larger organisations, assigning one person or team as the owner of accommodation data may also reduce discrepancies. When HR, operations, project managers and transport teams work from different headcounts, duplicate bookings and missed requirements become much more likely.
What Should You Confirm Before Booking Dormitory Beds?
Once your required quantity is clear, confirm the operational details of the accommodation before committing.
Key points to verify include current bed availability, licensed occupancy, room configuration, contract terms, security, maintenance arrangements, communal facilities, transport accessibility and the process for resolving resident issues.
MOM also recommends having a written tenancy agreement with the dormitory operator and providing workers with a way to highlight housing problems so that they can be addressed.
This is why worker accommodation should not be selected based on rental price alone.
A cheaper bed may not necessarily produce a lower overall operating cost if the location creates longer transportation journeys, the contract lacks flexibility or accommodation issues require greater administrative effort from your company.
How Avery Dormitories Can Support Workforce Planning
Avery Dormitories provides professionally managed worker accommodation across multiple industrial areas in Singapore.
Its four-location network allows employers to discuss accommodation according to workforce size, worksite location and operational requirements rather than approaching every accommodation requirement as a one-size-fits-all booking.
Avery states that its facilities are maintained to applicable FEDA standards and supported by professional management, security and communal amenities. Avery’s operating model covers the wider dormitory lifecycle, from development and licensing through to daily operations and ongoing maintenance.
Before making an accommodation enquiry, companies should ideally prepare information covering:
- current workers requiring accommodation;
- confirmed additional workers and expected move-in dates;
- preferred dormitory location based on worksites;
- expected duration of accommodation;
- anticipated manpower increases or reductions; and
- any requirement to distribute workers across different operating areas.
Providing this information makes it easier to discuss realistic availability and reduces the risk of both under-booking and unnecessary excess capacity.
So, How Many Dormitory Beds Does Your Company Actually Need?
The answer should come from your workforce plan – not from a rough employee headcount. Begin with workers who genuinely require dormitory accommodation. Add confirmed arrivals and transfers. Subtract confirmed departures and workers moving to other approved accommodation.
Then determine whether your operations require a reasonable capacity reserve, match workers to suitable locations based on their worksites, and confirm current room configuration, licensed capacity, availability and contract terms with the dormitory operator.
For companies managing a changing workforce in Singapore, this approach turns worker accommodation from a last-minute administrative task into a more predictable part of manpower planning.
Planning accommodation for new hires, project mobilisation or a changing workforce? Contact Avery Dormitories to discuss current bed availability at Avery Lodge, Kian Teck Dormitory, Tampines Dormitory and Woodlands Dormitory.