THE competition among countries for maids is getting hotter, and Singapore may be losing out.
A Straits Times check with agencies revealed that maids from countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines now prefer to work in places like Hong Kong and Taiwan for the higher pay and a compulsory weekly day-off there.
Singapore's mandatory English multiple- choice entry test on hygiene and housework and a rule that maids must be at least 23 years old also turn some away.
The 20 agencies surveyed said the reduced inflow, especially of Indonesian maids, has led to suppliers charging up to $2,000 a maid, up from about $1,000 a year ago.
The manager of a maid agency in Far East Plaza said: 'Sometimes, we can get only about five a month and the supplier charges about $1,600 per maid.'
Indonesian and Sri Lankan maids are paid $280 a month and Filipinas, $300 to $350. In Hong Kong and Taiwan, maids earn about $690 and $750 respectively.
There are currently about 170,000 foreign maids here, mostly from the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
The higher pay overseas is making some maids working here jump ship. Take the case of Filipino maid Licia Magallon, 31, whose contract here ends in three months.
'I'll go to Hong Kong. There the pay is double and I get time off every week and also on public holidays,' said Ms Magallon, who has been here for 20 months and earns about $320 a month.
Singapore's lower wage has also led to a shortage of experienced maids. Director of Swift Arrows Maid Peter Loh said most maids who come here are first-timers.
'They use Singapore as a stepping stone before going to Hong Kong and Taiwan. They also try to pick up some Chinese here to aid them in future,' he noted.
His agency has also seen up to a 30 per cent drop in the number of Indonesian maids coming here since last year.
To cope with the shortage, agencies are now hiring maids from Myanmar. They are paid $320.
For Mr Loh, up to 30 per cent of his maids are now from that country. For Ms C. Chua, director of a maid agency in Lucky Plaza, the figure is 15 per cent.
Despite the lower pay, agencies say Singapore's strict policy against maid abuse remains an attraction.
