Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) announced that it has cut the upper limit of fee for recruiting domestic workers from a number of countries. These countries include the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia.

This initiative comes within the framework of the ministry’s efforts to review the recruitment costs and their governing regulations, in accordance with the changes in recruitment costs so as to ensure fair prices.

The reductions made in the upper ceiling for recruitment costs are the following: The Philippines from SR15,900 to SR14,700; Sri Lanka from SR15,000 to SR13,800; Bangladesh from SR13,000 to SR11,750; Kenya from SR10,870 to SR9,000; Uganda from SR9,500 to SR8,300 and Ethiopia from SR6,900 to SR5,900.

The ministry had previously directed licensed recruitment companies and offices to set the upper limit for the costs of recruiting domestic worker services from some nationalities, as the upper limit for recruiting domestic workers from Sierra Leone and Burundi is SR7500; SR10000 from Thailand, without including the value added tax (VAT).

The decision comes within the framework of the ministry’s endeavor to develop all services, improve the labor market environment and enhance its attractiveness. It also shows the ministry’s keenness to review costs, services and systems in accordance with economic variables, and in a manner commensurate with them. The ministry stressed the need to adhere to not exceeding the ceiling of announced prices, as it will follow up on implementing this through the Musaned platform.