Quota restrictions on housemaid jobs

Rasika Somarathna

Quota restrictions will be used by foreign employment authorities to control and limit the recruitment of females by private manpower agencies, to work as house maids in the Middle East.

Agencies will be given an annual quota and the allotment will depend on the grading they have achieved during an annual assessment. Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Minister Dilan Perera said such a system will be introduced from April.

The minister said the quota system will also help minimise irregularities in recruitment and worker difficulties while encouraging agencies to follow best practices.

Agencies are currently graded on a points-based system, depending on their performance in areas such as number of recruitment, dispute settlement, new visas, ratio between job orders and departures, payment of taxes, renewal of licenses, legal cases, complaints etc. The points are upgraded annually.

The minister said programmes have been initiated to upgrade the skill and knowledge levels of females going abroad for domestic jobs. "Instead of domestic aides we will send house keepers in the future, for better wages and perks," Perera said.