Doha Ghouth Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Domestic help in the Kingdom has been hard to find due to the recruitment ban on domestic helpers from Indonesia and the Philippines, and with the cost of recruiting helpers from other countries running into the tens of thousands of Saudi riyals, many have turned to hiring overstayers or runaway workers. Demand for domestic help has soared in recent years as families where both parents work full-time are becoming the norm. With Ramadan set to begin in a few days, demand has reached an all-time high. “What upsets me is that domestic helpers choose Ramadan, the toughest month of the year, to leave their employers and find jobs that pay better and require less work,” said a resident of Jeddah on condition of anonymity. Many families say the only way to find help is by being referred through another domestic helper who acts as a broker and charges a fee between SR200-300. “The problem with paying a fee is that there is no guarantee that the maid or driver will stay. Illegal workers are free to get up and leave whenever they want and many families find that they pay a broker SR300 only to find the help gone when they wake up in the morning,” said another resident. A broker who requested anonymity, explained why many maids run away. “Work becomes unbearable during Ramadan and since most helpers are Muslims who fast, they cannot tolerate the strenuous tasks they are given and prefer to be on vacation. However, since they can't afford to do so, I place them in homes where we take a commission and split it when they leave the next day,” said Zainab who claimed to have housed over 70 maids. Instead of relying on domestic helpers, many families have distributed household chores between members. “We have a schedule and all of my kids are responsible for cleaning their rooms and putting back whatever they use,” said a mother of three.
