Maids from India, Nepal, Laos and Vietnam

By V.P.SUJATA

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysians would be able hire maids from India, Nepal, Laos and Vietnam because of increasing demand and the difficulty in getting domestic helpers from Indonesia. 

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the recruitment of maids from the four countries would take place only after memoranda of understanding were signed with these countries. 

Foreign maids in the country totalled 317,537 and are currently sourced from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. 

"We had decided on four more countries because there is a great demand for maids and lately there have been difficulties in getting maids from Indonesia," he told reporters after chairing the Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers here Tuesday. 

Najib also said that the Human Resource Ministry would be conducting a thorough study on the country's need for foreign workers while taking into consideration the problems that came with having more of them in the country. 

Other ministries dealing with foreigners such as tourism, agriculture, and plantation would also offer their input in the study, he said, adding that it was expected to take a few months to be completed before it is presented in the cabinet committee. 

Based on the findings of the study, Najib said, the committee would analyse and decide on a policy on foreign worker recruitment. 

"The study would also take into consideration that the country would need more foreign workers when developing the three economic corridors in the Peninsula and two in Sabah and Sarawak," he said. 

In announcing the number of foreign workers in the country as of Sept 30, Najib said there was 2, 021, 099 people in various sectors including manufacturing (35.9%), plantation (17 %), housemaids (15.8%), construction (14.1%), service industry (9.5%) and agriculture (7.7%). 

Among the countries the workers are from are Indonesia (57.5%), Nepal (11%), Bangladesh (8.8%) and India (7%), he added.

From http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/10/9/nation/20071009193855&sec=nation