Saudi Arabia: E-transfer of wages for on-trial domestic workers optional

Cairo: Saudi labour authorities have said that the electronic transfer of wages for domestic workers employed on a trial basis is not mandatory.

“This service can be benefitted from only after the issuance of the iqama (residency permit),” the government domestic labour affairs platform Musaned said.

In June, Saudi authorities announced regulations for the electronic transfer of house workers.

Starting from January 1, it will be mandatory for employers with four or more domestic workers in the kingdom to transfer wages to their electronic wallets .

Additionally, employers of new domestic workers in Saudi Arabia are required to deposit the wages into the e-wallets, effective July 1.

The rules stipulate that the salary should be transferred by the employer via e-wallets and the banks accredited by the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources.

Other stipulations are that the worker should be on the sponsorship list, get an iqama issued for him/her, have an authenticated contract on Musaned as well as an account designated for the worker.

Advantages of the system include curbing cash transactions, improving the work environment, and providing easy and reliable payments.

Domestic workers in Saudi Arabia include housekeepers, drivers, housemaids, cleaners, cooks, guards, farmers, live-in nurses, tutors and nannies.

Saudi authorities have recently sought to regulate the domestic workers’ market. To this end, the Ministry of Human Resources has set up Musaned to help customers learn about their rights and duties, and related services including visa issuance, recruitment requests and the contractual relation between the employer and the worker.