Saudi Arabia now hiring female domestic workers from 33 countries
Over 2 million recruitment contracts processed in 2023
Cairo: The number of countries from which female domestic workers can now be recruited in Saudi Arabia has surged to 33 after several countries have recently been added to the hire list in the kingdom, thus expanding options for employers.
The latest additions included Ethiopia, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Gambia.
With the employment contracts for domestic labour in Saudi Arabia now processed through a government e-platform, the number of such contracts surpassed 2 million last year, according to official figures.
As part of its efforts to regulate the labour market, the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources has set up the Musaned domestic labour platform to help clients learn about their rights and duties, and related services including visa issuance, recruitment requests and contractual relation between the employer and the worker.
The ministry has made the contracting process obligatory via the Musaned, being the official recruitment platform in the kingdom.
The ministry has also displayed keenness on protecting rights of all parties concerned with the recruitment process by introducing services via the Musaned including documenting contracts by setting up an e-unified contract.
The step has boosted protection of rights of domestic labourers and employers alike, and bolstered beneficiaries’ confidence in the platform. As a result, more than 1,000 companies and offices are now registered as accredited recruitment facilities across the kingdom.
Moreover, transfer operations are now remarkably flexible and associated procedures facilitated.
The ministry had earlier announced the availability of the worker’s transfer service from one beneficiary to another via the Musaned after the employee’s consent.
Domestic workers in Saudi Arabia include housekeepers, drivers, housemaids, cleaners, cooks, guards, farmers, live-in nurses, tutors and nannies.