Malaysia to allow maids from India, Nepal, Laos, Vietnam
Malaysia will allow householders to employ maids from India, Laos, Nepal and Vietnam as the government seeks to counter a shortage of domestic workers from Indonesia, reports said on Wednesday.
By Agencies |
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will allow householders to employ maids from India, Laos, Nepal and Vietnam as the government seeks to counter a shortage of domestic workers from Indonesia, reports said on Wednesday.
Currently Malaysians employ nearly 320,000 foreign maids from Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
But Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak told a news agency that domestic workers from the four new countries would be permitted once Malaysia signed agreements with their governments.
The decision was made "in view of the high demand for domestic help and difficulty in getting them from Indonesia," Bernama said.
Malaysia depends heavily on foreign maids but they have little protection under labour laws. They often work long hours with no regular day off, for about $120 a month.
Officials have said Indonesian domestic workers are shunning Malaysia because of the low salaries which compare poorly with Singapore and Hong Kong, and are also deterred by bad publicity generated by a spate of abuse cases.
Currently Malaysians employ nearly 320,000 foreign maids from Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
But Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak told a news agency that domestic workers from the four new countries would be permitted once Malaysia signed agreements with their governments.
The decision was made "in view of the high demand for domestic help and difficulty in getting them from Indonesia," Bernama said.
Malaysia depends heavily on foreign maids but they have little protection under labour laws. They often work long hours with no regular day off, for about $120 a month.
Officials have said Indonesian domestic workers are shunning Malaysia because of the low salaries which compare poorly with Singapore and Hong Kong, and are also deterred by bad publicity generated by a spate of abuse cases.
Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
