With the Saudi freeze on employing Indonesian housemaids and Filipino drivers taking effect, people are desperately seeking alternatives. Many who had been waiting for months for an Indonesian domestic worker are now considering the unknown variables of hiring Cambodian, Sri Lankan or Ethiopian servants. Four decades ago Saudis did not know the meaning of the word “housemaid,” and probably did not imagine that their children and grandchildren one day would be so dependent on workers from the Far East. Foreign recruitment of domestic workers in Saudi Arabia started in the late 1970s. Yet a significant percentage of Saudis still reject the idea of living with a “stranger” in their house, Al-Hayat Arabic newspaper said. Many changes have occurred over the years, but the biggest started in July when Saudi Arabia froze the issuing of work visas to Filipinos and Indonesians because of a row over a salary cap. The Ministry of Labor has frantically been searching for alternative countries to recruit from. Now recruitment agencies are adapting to the new criteria while still adhering to the ones set by clients like age, religion and nationality. Muhammad Al-Budair, a recruitment agency staffer, said some people are reluctant to recruit labor from Africa fearing that they might abscond or not carry out duties given to them. Another recruiter said some people fear diseases but the tests the workers undergo before entering the country cannot be falsified. Hasan Al-Hamid, an agency employee, said most clients put the condition that maids should be 25 to 30 years old, have experience working in GCC countries other than Saudi Arabia and speak English.
