Filipino maids with tertiary education and who can speak fluent English are set to fill the void left by Indonesian maids who are “boycotting” Malaysia after disputes over the minimum wages for them.

According to a report in Sin Chew Daily yesterday, a large number of highly qualified Filipino maids from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the poorest part of the Philippines, who in the past were sent to Hongkong and Middle-Eastern countries where they were well paid, are now willing to come to Malaysia and work for less due to the global slowdown.

Confirming this to the daily, Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr. S. Subramaniam said Filipinas have always been hired to work as domestic helpers in Malaysia.

And they are traditionally paid more than maids from other countries because of their language skills and because they are well trained to look after the elderly and the young.

He said in the past, the government had proposed to the Philippine government to bring maids from Mindanao but were unsuccessful because they asked for a minimum pay of RM1,400 a month whereas Malaysia was willing to offer only RM800.

“The Philippine government had asked for RM1,400 a month for their maids on the basis that they could communicate in English, were graduates and well trained.

“Now that these maids are willing to work for less and are willing to be sent to Malaysia, we believe the problem of a shortage of maids will soon be resolved,” he said.