PETALING JAYA: There was much expectation of a steady stream of Indonesian maids arriving this month but there is no word yet on their arrival.
Even if there are biodatas available, employers must be prepared to pay an astronomical sum as recruitment fees which cannot be deducted from the maid’s salary.
Maid employment associations are still left in the dark on whether there would be a recruitment of domestic workers to address labour shortages despite Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan stating in December last year that a significant number of workers from Indonesia will be here this month.
Back then, Saravanan said Indonesia and Malaysia would also be signing a Memorandum of Understanding on Recruitment and Placement of Indonesian Domestic Workers (MoU PDI) in January.
With the signing, Indonesia was expected to send between 5,000 to 10,000 workers in various sectors, including manufacturing, construction and as maids.
Association of Employment Agencies Malaysia vice-president Suresh Tan lamented there was still no clear directive from the government on the procedure for the new intake of domestic workers.
“We are still in the dark, we don’t know anything until now,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Tan said there is a massive shortage of workers here affecting not just maids but other industries as well such as security, manufacturing, warehousing, cleaning, construction, and restaurants.
“They have all been badly hit. The government has to do something about it, whether to allow new intakes with proper process and with clear directives.
“Will it be a manual or online application? Medical checkups, Covid-19 quarantine regulations and tests, all of these need to be addressed.
“The government too has to be transparent on the cost so that employers would be aware of it if they want to hire a new foreign worker or a maid,” he said.
As for recruitment fees, Tan said the cost to hire a maid through an agency before Covid-19 ranged between RM10,000 and RM15,000.
“But now, the cost has gone up to between RM15,000 and RM20,000, depending on the additional Covid-19 requirements, such as quarantine and testing.
“I believe with additional requirements in the worker’s home country, as well as the agency’s additional logistics cost, I am looking at an additional sum of RM6,000 to RM7,000,” he said.
“If the government can bring down the quarantine cost it will help reduce the burden on the employer,” he added.
Tan said salaries for Indonesian maids range from RM1,200 to RM1,500 a month, while for Filipino maids, salaries start from the minimum wage of US$400 (RM1,670) a month.
When asked if employers can hire maids on their own without going through an agency, Tan said under the “System Maid Online” this can be done, but it comes at a risk.
“Some embassies are concerned about direct hiring because of welfare issues. If they go through an agency, they will take the responsibility if something goes wrong,” he said.
Tan added that those hiring on their own would be able to save between RM1,000 to RM2,000 from the total cost paid to an agency.
“Hiring on your own still goes through a third party as you don’t know the person in the country of origin.
“You either go through runners or an unlicensed agency there to get the biodata of the employee you want,” he said in explaining why self-hire would also incur a substantial amount of money.
Malaysian Maid Employers Association (Mama) president Engku Ahmad Fauzi Engku Muhsein also concurred with Tan that they still did not know if they could hire maids.
He said demand for domestic workers is high as people have started to return to office for work.
On whether the MOU has been signed, a source from the Indonesian embassy said negotiations were still ongoing, adding that they were looking to see more protection for their domestic workers to ensure their well-being.
“There are many other intricate issues to discuss as well,” he added.