Malaysia To Source Maids From South Asia, Laos And Vietnam

October 10, 2007 10:10 p.m. EST

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AHN) - The Malaysian government has allowed local employment agencies to recruit maids from India, Nepal, Laos and Vietnam, according to the Jakarta Post.

Malaysia currently hires most maids from Indonesia and a smaller number from the Philippines, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The Malaysian Association of Foreign Housemaids Agencies said it brings in 6,000 new foreign maids to the country every month. But the number is not enough prompting the government to expand the sources of household helpers.

The president of the association, Raja Zulkepley Dahalan, said agencies need to hire 1,000 more foreign maids every month to fill the shortage. Dahalan said the shortage was caused by the decline in the number of Indonesian maids applying for jobs in Malaysia.

According to Dahalan, fewer Indonesian maids are willing to work in Malaysia due to low wages and fear of abuse from Malaysian employers. The typical salary of Indonesian maids is $147. In contrast, Filipino maids earn $380 per month.

There are 320,000 foreign maids in Malaysia at present. Ninety-five percent of these are Indonesians. The rest are Filipinos, Cambodians, Sri Lankans and Thais.