Saudi Arabia gets 30,000 Filipinas in 90 days

Saudi Arabia hired nearly 30,000 housemaids from the Philippines in just three months, an average one maid every three days, its labour minister has said.

Adel Faqih said the ministry issued entry visas for the 30,000 maids in the first quarter of 2014 following an agreement to end a long-standing labour rift with the Philippines.

Quoted by the Arabic language daily Okaz, he said the number is nearly triple the average number of Philippine housemaids hired annually before 2011.

“We want to diversify the country’s sources of domestic workers…we are negotiating with some countries to sign bilateral agreements in this respect and we have already signed accords with four countries,” he said.

Saudi Arabia, the largest Arab economy and the world’s top oil supplier, is a major base for domestic servants and other expatriate workers. More than two million maids from Asia and Africa work in the Gulf kingdom.

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