Indonesia ban on domestic helps to stay

The restrictions on hiring domestic workers from Indonesia — because of a ban imposed by Jakarta — will continue, an Indonesian diplomatic representative in Oman has said.

“The ban will continue,” he said, adding it was part of the Indonesian government’s efforts to regulate the hiring process. It has stopped sending the domestic workers to 21 nations, including some GCC countries.

According to the embassy, an untrained domestic help from Indonesia earns RO 120 to RO 150 a month, while a trained maid gets RO 200.

Additionally, the official said most of those working as domestic helps abroad are not competitive enough to work in the Indonesian labour market.

Meanwhile, employers here said they are keen on hiring domestic helps from Indonesia for various reasons, including the ease of getting along, ability to learn Arabic, commitment to child rearing and adaptability in preparing local food.

“I used to have an Indonesian domestic help for several years. She was like a family member. Unfortunately, she had to leave us after the ban came into force,” said an Omani working in a public sector organisation.

The embassy officials said they were studying the living conditions in every GCC state and discussing with the local authorities the salary standards and other living conditions.

“We are keen to reduce the number of Indonesian domestic workers abroad and instead send skilled workers abroad and help them take part in the nation-building process,” he said.

A total of 11,040 Indonesian citizens are living and working in the Sultanate. The number stood at 32,535 (31,891 females, 644 males) three years ago.