[cargo_brad]

Sunday January 16, 2011

Agencies making a killing using illegal temps

KUALA LUMPUR: With legitimate domestic workers getting very scarce, illegal ones are becoming a precious, and costly, alternative.

The going rate for an illegal temporary maid, mainly from Indonesia and the Philippines, is RM1,500, which is their monthly salary.

With as many as 35,000 Malaysian employers desperately seeking domestic workers, unscrupulous agencies are cashing in on the rising demand by moving the illegal maids from one household to another.

The agencies pocket the lion’s share of the RM1,500, with the illegal maids paid only a meagre amount.

While some employers do not mind forking out such large sums to keep their homes in order, others are pleading for help for the maid shortage to be resolved quickly.