This is Singapore’s dirty little secret. Few locals want to work in industries such as construction. Yet, some foreign workers willing to do so have to pay thousands of dollars – sometimes up to $20,000 – to get these jobs.

Who is illegally asking for these fees? Singapore employers, fellow migrant workers and underground recruitment agents. CloseUp investigates.

CloseUp, a new investigative video series by The Straits Times, seeks to give a deeper look at issues that hit close to home. It aims to delve beneath the surface of some of the biggest headlines in town.

Watch here.