Employment agencies are urging the government to ensure the process of applying for a maid is seamless in anticipation of a huge number of applications to hire domestic maids once the Memorandum of Understanding is inked on April 1.

The Association of Employment Agencies Malaysia (AEAM) complained that the application process would have to be manually conducted as they were told that the online system or One Channel System (OCS) is having issues.

Given this scenario, AEAM said there will be hiccups and they hoped that the system will only be used for the application process, and not for collecting payments, engaging agents in Indonesia, or accepting deposits on behalf of agents in Indonesia.

Indonesia and the Philippines are the top choices for Malaysians wanting domestic helpers and the Human Resources Ministry said that companies may be required to pay between RM10,000 and RM15,000 to hire Indonesian maids.

The Malaysian Maid Employers Association (MMEA) is also expecting a huge demand for Indonesian maids once the MoU is signed between the two leaders of Malaysia and Indonesia.

MMEA also stated that the wages for the domestic helpers should be less than the minimum wage level in Malaysia so as to ensure that people don’t employ illegal workers.

-HR HUB