Saudi labour ministry introduces maid recruitment app

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Labour and Social Devleopment has reportedly introduced a new smartphone app to recruit housemaids.

Arabic daily Al-Madina reported cited a ministry source as confirming the app’s development as part of the Musanid electronic programme.

It is designed to reduce paperwork and improve transparency in the recruitment of housemaids and will be available for both iOS and Android devices, according to the source.

“The new service will help clients follow up on their recruitment applications, enable them to know the licensed recruitment offices and companies and also to be aware of the costs and time of recruitment,” he was quoted as saying.

Maid recruitment offices reportedly said the app would cut paperwork by 40 per cent and enable the issuance of electronic visas.

Earlier this year it was reported that maid recruitment fees in the country would drop by about 20 per cent due to new sourcing deals expected to be signed in the first quarter with Somalia, Ethiopia and Chad.

Read: Saudi housemaid recruitment fees to drop by a fifth

This followed calls for cuts to domestic worker wages by a group of Saudi women in October. They called on families to pay maids no more than SAR1,000 ($267) a month due to tougher economic conditions in the country.