The Malaysian Insight

THE continued closure of international borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic remains the largest obstacle for maid agencies supplying the nation with domestic workers.

A number of agencies told The Malaysian Insight that while the government has allowed them to process recruitment applications for new workers, the process remains uncertain due to government red tape, taking roughly three to four months.

This is due to the government’s position that the entry of these employees into the country is subject to the borders reopening and clearance from the Home Ministry.

Industry associations said this was impossible and impractical because the immigration application procedures will not open unless the borders are opened.

Malaysian Association of Employment Agencies president Foo Yong Hooi told The Malaysian Insight that the government has not announced the latest application procedures yet.

“We think the procedures will be similar to those of the past,” he said, adding that another major problem was that many agency contracts for the supply of workers from the Philippines have expired.

“The movement-control order (MCO) has been in place for more than a year, so the contracts signed by many intermediary centres and agents in other countries, including the Philippines, have expired.

“The industry cannot sign a new contract as foreign agents are unlikely to visit, considering the factors such as the quarantine time and cost, while Malaysia is still closed,” Foo said.

“How do we overcome this problem? If we don’t solve it, and with them not willing to send people over, everything will be back to zero.”

He proposed a solution to negotiate with the Philippines embassy to extend contracts in the short term.

Foo also raised another situation where maids who have been hired had given up after waiting in the training centres of the source country for too long.

He added that the agencies are unable to cater for the huge demand for domestic helpers due to these circumstances.

“We have 700 to 800 intermediary companies. If each company needs 10 people, it will mean 7,000 to 8,000 people.”

He also believed local demand for maids will not be affected by the impact of the pandemic.

“Work and classes have resumed now. There is no need to work from home. Some children in the family go to school and the elderly require workers to take care of them,” Foo said.

Maids head to other markets

Fiona Low, the chief executive officer of Malaysia National Association of Employment Agencies (PIKAP), estimated at least 10,000 to 30,000 families in Malaysia are in need of a maid.

“Before the MCO started in March last year, the Immigration Department used to receive about 5,000 to 6,000 applications to hire maids in a month.

“Now, a year later, many maids have also completed their contracts and are going home. Some are staying for one to two years, and there are special circumstances.

“Some families choose not to hire to save money, but at least 1,000 families have needs and they do hire.”

Low also said it would not work to apply for new maid recruitment and then keep them waiting until the borders are opened again.

“We need to recruit and bring people in. The borders of both countries need to be opened.

“It is wrong and impractical to find people before the borders are opened. This part of the work cannot be carried out until both countries are open.”

Currently, only maids who returned to their home country before the MCO and still hold a visa can return to Malaysia by applying for MyTravelPass.

However, agencies can also put in applications for new maids, who will only be allowed to enter after the borders are opened.

To that, Low said employers who hired maids before the MCO may need to start the application process from scratch.

She believed some maids have been poached by opening markets such as the Middle East, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

However, she does not rule out that there may also be some previously hired maids still waiting to enter Malaysia to provide services to their employers.

Employment Agency JL Reliance Sdn Bhd representative Tan Kim Thin said although the government has announced that applications are permitted, maids are still not allowed to enter the country at this stage.

“Even if it is approved and if they have to wait for another month or two, they may back down.

“In fact, 90% of them have gone to other markets like Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, which have reopened their borders.”

Tan said it may be more effective if the government approved the admission of maids with the required standard operating procedure for pandemic prevention.

He also said the current epidemic in the home countries of some maids is very serious. – April 12, 2021.