Recent figures reveal a significant rise in the recruitment of domestic workers in Saudi Arabia, with numbers reaching 3.826 million last year, marking a substantial increase from 3.602 million in 2022.
The spike, as reported by Saudi newspaper Al Watan, primarily stems from a surge in the hiring of house helpers and cleaning workers, accounting for 84% of the overall increase.
A detailed breakdown indicates notable growth rates in various domestic labor sectors. Housekeepers saw a surge of 43.8%, while house guards and farmers increased by 34.7% and 46.5%, respectively. However, other professions witnessed a decline in recruitment rates, including cooks, house tailors, live-in nurses, tutors, and nannies.
In an effort to regulate the labor market, the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources established the Musaned domestic labor platform. This platform aims to educate clients about their rights and duties, facilitate visa issuance, handle recruitment requests, and manage contractual relations between employers and workers.
Notably, the ministry has mandated the contracting process through the Musaned platform, which serves as the official recruitment platform in the kingdom.
Furthermore, the government portal recently outlined the average fees and caps for hiring domestic workers from six countries. For instance, fees for workers from the Philippines were capped at SR14,700, while those from Bangladesh were set at SR11,750, reflecting the varying costs associated with recruitment from different countries.