SINGAPORE: There has been a shortage of Indonesian
maids in Singapore in recent weeks.
Some maid agencies here said this is because agents
in Indonesia have not been recruiting maids for close to three
weeks.
And with the Indonesian maid crunch, they estimate
agency fees for maids from Indonesia, the Philippines or even
Myanmar, to at least double.
This follows the Indonesian government's plan to roll out a new
policy from next month that will require recruitment agents to cut
their fees from S$3,000 to either S$1,600 or S$800.
Thus, Indonesian agents have adopted a wait-and-see approach.
But maid agencies here said it's highly likely that the policy will
be implemented.
Once it kicks in, they expect the supply of maids to resume, but
only in September, after the Muslim fasting month.
Even then, the number of Indonesian maids heading here is expected
to be lower than what it used to be.
"The agent fees will be increased and will be maintained above
S$1,000 in the future, due to the great shortage of supply. Whether
it is Indonesia, the Philippines or Myanmar, the fees will be
maintained on the high side," said Gary Chin, managing director,
Nation Employment.
- CNA/cc
