Chances are fees associated with employing maids will rise, as the Indonesian manpower ministry comes up with a roadmap to give maids more training so as to preserve the country’s dignity.
This comes after Indonesian President Joko Widodo threatened to cut the supply of women going overseas to work as maids.
Employment agencies in Singapore are already calling for maids here to sit for professional training so they can become skilled workers.
Should the tap be turned off, employment agencies warn that maid salaries will rise due to a smaller pool of maids.
There are currently about 125,000 Indonesians in Singapore working as maids, and they make up half the total maids here.
What’s also worrying for employers – the cost of “professional training”.
Already, employers are made to pay a whole host of fees besides their domestic helper’s monthly salary and insurance.
These include the Manpower Ministry’s mandated foreign worker levy, agency fees, and other fees associated with hiring first-time helpers.
It’s likely that employers will eventually be made to bear the brunt of any costs associated with training.
As it stands, maid agencies already collect placement fees from maids which can cost up S$4000, or about 8 months of the maid’s salary.
