By Staff Reporter
Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) has warned residents, both citizens and expatriates, against dealing with unlicensed agencies for the recruitment of domestic workers. It has also cautioned against engaging with unqualified individuals offering labour services.
In response to a shortage of domestic workers and the sharp rise in the prices for their hiring during Ramadan, the ministry clarified that temporary employment services for domestic workers serve as a key pillar in regulating the labour market. These services allow for the flexible hiring of registered domestic workers through recognised service centres, catering to employer needs on an hourly, daily, or weekly basis.
The ministry reaffirmed that dealing with licensed agencies allows clients to reclaim their payments if the recruited domestic workers do not meet the agreed-upon conditions, specifications or skills.
MOHRE has set the pricing ceilings for domestic worklers all specified nationalities as under:
Dh120 for four hours per day
Dh200 for eight hours per day
Dh1,120 for seven days
Dh3,500 for 30 days
Dh3,250 per month for a six-month contract
Dh3,000 per month for a 12-month contract
Complaints abound
MOHRE said it has received hundreds of complaints over the past week regarding excessive prices being demanded by domestic worker recruitment agencies across the UAE. As Ramadan begins, demand has soared—especially for chefs—with agencies citing high operational costs and losses from surplus workers dismissed after Ramadan.
Some agencies have increased the temporary contract cost for chefs to Dh4,500-Dh5,000 for the month, compared to the monthly Dh3,000 charged during the rest of the year. Industry experts, including recruitment agents and service processing offices, confirmed that the spike in prices in temporary contracts for chefs.
The demand for chefs has surged five to six times higher than the available supply, making them among the most sought-after category of domestic workers. The imbalance between supply and demand has led to a significant increase in prices, further exacerbating the crisis for households seeking domestic assistance during Ramadan.
