Labor Ministry sets conditions for recruitment of house workers

RIYADH: The Ministry of Labor and Social Development has approved a set of conditions for those who wish to hire house workers, be they citizens or residents.

One of the major conditions is that a married citizen should have at least a balance of SR35,000 ($9,333) in his bank account while salaries of residents should not be less than SR10,000 to recruit house workers or drivers.

Based on regulations for granting visas for house workers’ recruitment, the Ministry of Labor has the right to verify the financial position of an applicant to approve or reject, accordingly, the ministry said.

The ministry may give the applicant additional visas (two visas maximum) if the contract of the house workers is 18 months or over with the applicant. Applicants of five-year cards will be treated in accordance with conditions set for Saudi individuals.

On the other hand, the maximum number of visas for a married Saudi citizen is three, including one male house worker. Other categories of jobs allowed for house worker recruitment are female house worker; male house worker; private driver; baby sitter; male cook; female cook; waiter; male nurse and female nurse. Additionally, financial ability of not less than SR5,000 should be ensured on the first visa with a bank balance of SR35,000 which could reach up to SR500,000 on the fifth visa.

The ministry also allowed male and married female residents with salaries above SR10,000 to recruit two house workers under their sponsorship. However, for a bachelor, one house worker may be recruited. Job categories in this case are female house workers, private drivers or baby sitters.

The number of recruitment offices registered with the house worker program (Musanid), one of the ministry’s initiatives, stands at 605, while the number of beneficiaries from the Musanid portal stands at 61,411.