Ethiopian maids to start arriving soon in Saudi Arabia

JEDDAH – Minister of Labor and Social Development Ahmed Al-Rajhi has said his ministry has reached an agreement with its Ethiopian counterpart to lift a ban on the recruitment of housemaids from the northeast African country starting next month, Al-Madina Arabic daily reported.

He said the two sides had agreed on a monthly salary of SR1,000 while the recruitment process would cost between SR4,000 and SR7,000.

The ministry said it would open new channels of recruitment and provide citizens with various options to choose workers from.

The ministry will facilitate the work of recruitment offices so that they can bring over skilled housemaids with the help of the Musaned App. All recruitment formalities will be completed electronically to ensure that housemaids are recruited only by licensed offices in Ethiopia.

Hussain Al-Mutairi, head of the recruitment committee in the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said local offices could lease the services of housemaids, who are known to be hard-working and affordable.

No housemaid will be brought over to the Kingdom unless she attends a 30-day training and holds a police verification certificate as well as a medical fitness certificate, Al-Mutairi said.

The first batch of around 20,000 Ethiopian housemaids will arrive in March and the ministry has begun issuing work visas to recruitment offices as well as individuals.

The recruitment of Ethiopian maids was put on hold after the authorities in the country demanded a monthly salary of SR1,200, instead of SR850 suggested by the Saudi Labor Ministry.