PETALING JAYA: Hiring illegal maids may be slightly cheaper but the public has to be aware of the consequences.
Association of Employment Agencies Malaysia president Datuk Foo Yong Hooi said although cases of illegal domestic workers were not rampant at the moment due to strict enforcement, the public needs to be reminded that they should not hire illegal maids.
Commenting on a recent case of an Indonesian maid without a work permit stealing from her employers and abducting their son, he said most illegal maids were those who run away from employers or misuse their tourist visa to work in the country.
“Employers usually would not mind hiring illegal maids because they do not have to worry about agency fees or the hiring processes. Sometimes, they are in immediate need to have a helper, for example, people with health conditions.
“They also do not have to pay the agencies’ costs such as levy payments to the government, processing fees at the embassy, the transport of maids from airports, medical examinations, insurance, employment contracts and others,” he told theSun.
However, Foo said without agencies, employers are agreeing to bring strangers into their homes and they could be charged under human trafficking laws for bringing undocumented foreign workers into the country.
“For the last two years, we have had a shortage of domestic workers in the country due to Covid-19 but with the reopening of our borders, it should get back to normal,” he said, adding that the association appreciates the government’s efforts to solve the issue.
He said the cost of hiring maids in Malaysia range between RM14,000 and RM15,000.
“Indian and Sri Lankan maids are slightly more expensive because they are the dominant countries and we are planning to bring in Cambodian maids soon.
“Although it is slightly more expensive to hire maids through an agency, that is the proper way.”
An employer, who wished to be known as Tina, said some agencies charged exorbitant fees and there is rarely any guarantee on the performance of the individual.
“I had a bad experience before, when our helper ran away after just three months and the agency did not reimburse us the costs of hiring her.
“The total loss to us was RM14,000.
“Now I have a helper, who has been working with me for six years, with a work permit. I pay her salary directly to her because we are no longer tied to any agency.”
Tina said some employers may not use agencies because they have connections in the home country of the helpers to scout for the right candidate.
“It is not necessarily taking them in illegally but the initial documents processed may not permit them to work in Malaysia.
“For example, they may first come into the country using a tourist visa,” she said, adding that in most cases, the employers would change the visa into a work permit later on.
Pix for representational purposes only.
