Demand for domestic help drops, says Papa

SHAH ALAM - The demand for domestic helpers has been decreasing since the beginning of the year.

Citing a report by TheStar, the Malaysian Employment Agencies Association (Papa) Vice President Suresh Tan said that previously, the demand for foreign workers saw a surging increase when the market reopened; however, it slowed down after that.

But more and more Filipinos are entering the country to work as domestic workers, he added.

At the same time, Suresh said, employers should not be too strict with their employees but adopt a give-and-take approach.

"Professionalism is needed on both sides. It is important to treat employees as you would anyone else in your workplace.

"This builds respect for each other, creating a better environment at home," he said on Tuesday.

In the meantime, a consulting director at an employment agency, Julian Tan, said the current lack of demand is also possible because many families are used to doing chores without a maid.

In addition, he said, another possible reason for the lack of Indonesian domestic workers coming into Malaysia to work as domestic helpers is due to issues in the application process resulting in delays in approval.

"This could also cause people applying to work as maids to change their minds during the waiting process," said Tan.