Five-figure recruitment fee to get a maid

All in a day’s work: Indonesian maid Maisurah Jubari doing her daily chores at her employer’s house in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star

GEORGE TOWN: The cost of getting a maid in Malaysia is “absurdly high” and is among the highest in the world, says Penang-based job agency owner Chris CT Chan.

“The current cost to get a maid for prospective employers is about RM20,000 but with the quarantine and Covid-19 prevention costs, it can go higher,” said Chan who has been running his agency for more than 25 years.