Fee raised for Indonesian maids

Employers will have to pay more to employ an Indonesian maid or domestic-worker.

The Star reported that:

The Malaysian Association of Foreign Maid Agencies (Papa) has been given the green light by the Government to increase the fee structure for Indonesian domestic workers to RM6,700.

This is a RM2,189 increase from the RM4,511 agreed to in the memorandum of understanding signed between the Malaysian and Indonesian governments in 2011.

Papa president Jeffrey Foo, who announced this yesterday, said that besides the new fee, employers would also have to pay RM1,800 upfront as salary advance.
More..Fee structure for Indonesian maids to be raised to RM6,700

Indonesian Maids are back to Malaysia

Today must be a great day for employers or households who have been struggling at home without the much-needed domestic help. Indonesia has approved for maids to come to work in Malaysia again. The first 29 arrived four days ago and are have started work.

Among the conditions of maid employment include

- The employer is now obliged to open a special account for the maids to remit their salary, which will be monitored to ensure there is no manipulation. The bank book will be kept by the maid to assure that the wages are being banked in.

Continue reading..All smiles - The Maids are Here (Back)

No more multi-tasking for Indonesian maids

Housemaids in Malaysia are more often than not either from Indonesia or The Philippines. Recently, Indonesia lifted its ban to send maids over but has drawn up new guidelines pertaining to work scope and remuneration.

The stipulation is Indonesian maids will be employed to handle only one task - cooking or baby-sitting or taking care of the elderly or housekeeping. They will no longer be multi-tasking. The basic salary for an Indonesian maid shall be RM700 a month. Malaysia has not agreed to these stipulations.

More..

Indonesian maids to arrive from mid-January

This is good news for households who need a maid. The long-awaited domestic help is imminent as some 50,000 Indonesian maids are due to arrive in Malaysia from mid-January after the lifting of the moratorium on their employment on Dec 1.

According to Labour director-general Datuk Sheikh Yahya Sheikh Mohamed, the delay was due to the compulsory 200-hour training (about a month) they had to undergo before they can work in Malaysia.

The one-off agency fee to recruit an Indonesian maid is now set at RM4,511, of which RM2,711 has to be paid by the employer and the remaining RM1,800 by the maid. The recruitment fee was not fixed before, and could be as high as RM8,000.

The stipulation is that only private recruitment agencies that are registered with the Immigration Department and Labour Department and which had agreed to abide by these conditions are allowed to recruit maids from Indonesia.

The authorities would act against recruitment agencies or employers breaking the rules. Recruitment agencies will have their licences suspended after the first offence, and revoked upon the second.

Employers who use their maids for purposes other than domestic work may be charged under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, which carries a jail sentence of up to 20 years and a maximum fine of RM1mil.


Source: The Star..50,000 Indonesian maids to arrive from mid-January

Indonesia to send domestic helpers to four countries only

Good news for Malaysian employers as Malaysia is among the four countries that Indonesian domestic helpers will be allowed to be sent to. The other three countries are Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. More..Indonesia to send domestic helpers to four countries only

Daily-paid maids now the popular choice

If you are planning to hire a foreign maid, below is a table comparing cost of hiring maids from different countries. The critical shortage of foreign maids and demand from desperate employers are the main causes that have pushed the employment fees so high that an upfront sum in the five-figure region is now a must.

Checks made by The Star show that a recruitment agency asked for RM12,075 for a Filipino maid while another said it would cost RM11,900 for a Cambodian maid.

Here is how much you would have to come up with as upfront payment for a Filipina maid..

Because of the high cost of hiring a permanent foreign maid, many are turning to daily-paid maids paying them only as and when they turn up for work.

Relatled articles from The Star:
RM12,000 for a maid
Escalating fee of hiring maids leaves employers reeling in disbelief
Getting maids can be nightmarish experience for many
Indonesian envoy: Malaysia has lost its lustre