“All the recruitment firms that are providing brokerage services in hiring domestic workers shall comply with the directive that the recruitment cost shall not exceed the maximum cost ceiling set by the ministry,” the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said that it aims to regulate the procedures and governance of prices in the recruitment market, as well as to control and follow up their implementation in order to ensure the quality of the services provided.

The ministry instructed that the recruitment cost should not exceed the upper ceiling for domestic workers from each nationality. The maximum ceiling of cost for the recruitment of domestic workers from some major countries is the following: SR9,500 - Uganda; SR10,000 -Thailand; SR10,870 -Kenya; SR13,000 -Bangladesh; and SR17,288 - the Philippines. The value-added tax (VAT) is excluded from these charges.

The ministry warned that those who violate the directive shall face punitive measures. The penalties for the violations would be applied through the Musaned platform. “This decision comes within the framework of the ministry’s endeavor to develop labor services, improve the labor market environment and enhance its attractiveness in line with the global labor market regulations,” the ministry said in a statement.