Indonesian maid salary to be increased to $450???

[tamarind]

3Boys:

There are alternatives.

Even in Singapore, I know of a number of full time working couples with young children, and no grandparents around, who balance using nannies, part time caregivers and careful juggling of work schedules, to get by without maids. Not easy, but it can be done. The problem is that in Singapore, the first knee jerk reaction when couples have children is to pull out the maid agencies phone number. MOST working couples across the world do not do that.

Many babies do not sleep through the night. Mommies may have to wake up at least 2 times a night to feed their newborn babies, until they are about 10 to 12 months old.

Then they have to wake up at 8am and go to work for one full day. When they return home and collect the baby from caregivers at 6 or 7 pm, they have no rest and the cycle repeats again. The mommy needs to be a superwoman in order to survive this !

Sure I know a colleague who refused to employ maid and went through this. But she told me that she felt so tired.

The fact is that most women are not able to live a life like this. That is why many women would rather not give birth, or give birth to only one baby.

Please have some pity on mommies who are not superwomen. It is very unfair to criticize other mommies for not trying hard enough, for not being able to take the hardship, and implying that they are lazy.

Yes I have a maid, because I cannot take the hardship. I am not ashamed of saying it. I have studied very hard for many years of my youth, why should I take any more hardship now ? There was a period of time when I had to take care of my baby with no maid, I was so tired and stressed that I sank into depression. I am just not a superwoman !

The lack of sympathy for working mommies like me is certainly the main reason why the birth rate continues to decline. It is quite hopeless.

Also, please do not compare us with other countries. Young mommies here earn peanuts compared to other countries.

My cousin, who is living in the USA, has 2 degrees from Harvard and Cambridge. She has to stay at home for 7 years to look after her kids. When she decided to go back to work, she employed a nanny who costs her USD2000 a month. The nanny only takes care of the kids and does not do any house work.

Take a look at the median salary in Singapore by age group :
http://www.salary.sg/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/median-income-by-age-group.gif\">

[tamarind]

Join in the discussion in my blog :


http://singaporemaid.blogspot.com/2011/01/pay-hike-as-supply-of-maids-dry-up-23.html

[janet88]

With all the comparisons going on between working in SG or HKG/Taiwan, I hope someone should voice out that comparisons shouldn’t be made at all. How can you compare ? Govt rules are different to begin with.


Many capable women would love to have kids, but looking after the babies is a big question. It’s not an easy job at all, esp in the first year. In low income families, both husband and wife has to work, so employing a maid will worsen their financial status.

[tamarind]

janet_lee88:

With all the comparisons going on between working in SG or HKG/Taiwan, I hope someone should voice out that comparisons shouldn't be made at all. How can you compare ? Govt rules are different to begin with.


Many capable women would love to have kids, but looking after the babies is a big question. It's not an easy job at all, esp in the first year. In low income families, both husband and wife has to work, so employing a maid will worsen their financial status.

I agree. Not only government rules, the salaries that we earn are also very different.

Actually I advise parents not to give birth unless they have sorted out proper childcare arrangement, financial support, etc.

I have seen many young mommies struggling without maids. They are on the verge of breakdown, and yet, no sympathy from others.

[3Boys]

This is a multi-faceted issue, of which, only 2 aspects have so far pre-dominated in this discussion.


1) Working life in Singapore is too hard for working mums and therefore a maid is not a luxury by a NECESSITY.

2) Maids wages in Singapore should be kept low due to a. Low wages of Singaporeans b. Wonderful working conditions in Singapore compared to other countries c. Poor skills levels of maids here d. Any combination of the above.

Let me put forth a few more for your consideration;

a. Social equity: Consider what the maid actually takes home. Is it a princely sum? Is it fair pay for the work that she is doing?

There is a lot of talk here about income inequality, but it is completely one-sided i.e. the employer/govt ought to pay us more. However, as employers (those with maids) ourselves, do we consider what is a fair wage to pay for the work that is done? If the maids work is only worth $380 a month, can you find a Singaporean to do that same job for that amount of money? Obviously there is a HUGE disconnect, and we KNOW that the work product is worth far more than that in the local context. Other countries realise it too, and thats why the are paying higher wages to their maids than we are.

b. The reality of supply and demand: The local supply is drying up. Maids are not silly, they talk to each other, they know where the better pay is, they know where better working conditions are, and like us, when we are looking for a job, they will weigh it all up. If we, as working adults, know how to assess prospective employers, so do they. To sum it up, it is a global competition for labour, and right now, we are losing. The competing markets (HK, Malaysia, ME) are all fully aware of the value that these maids bring to the household, as you are all aware. If one chooses to only pay $350-$380 for a maid, in the near future, one may not be able to land one, simple law of supply and demand.

c. Dependence on foreign labour: Why is there the levy and other rules governing the employment of maids? Some are equity based, like health insurance, protection against abuse. Others are clearly drafted to dampen the demand for dependency on foreign labour. Is it not already obvious how addicted we are to maids, as evidenced in 1)? We simply cannot live without them, regardless of whether it cause us issues at home or financial worries. Now the mantra is "No Maid, No Baby". How ridiculous! I am glad the government sees the woods for the trees and refuses to be blackmailed.

Do we believe that cheap maid help will last forever? Already the economic realities will cause a narrowing of the wages between such workers and their employers, like what is seen in the US. Do we not realise that we become vulnerable to geopolitical forces if we continue such dependence? Like being dependent for water? What if Indonesia and Phillipines decide to turn off the tap? Then what, we all die?


Lt me go back to 1) for a minute. In my view, it is false. The issue of a working mum wanting time to relax and be willing to pay for the privilege is true not just here in Singapore. So the comparison with other countries is completely relevant. Are mums in SG more stressed than elsewhere? Its the same question as whether Singaporeans are smarter and more hardworking than people elsewhere. IMO, having worked with a number of different nationalities, is that WE think we ARE, but in reality, we absolutely ARE NOT. The fact is that I have observed a number of working couples with children who manage without maids. It CAN be done, and if you are facing a tight financial situation, you really OUGHT to be thinking about it. Is there an easy answer to this? Clearly not, and families around the world grapple with it, and often solve it without resorting to live-in help. You have to make some compromises, less enrichment for the kids, eat out less, have a cheaper cell-phone plan.

Lets be clear, we are the outliers here, not the rest of the world. The phenomenon of huge numbers of families having maids is a relatively recent occurrence. How many of you had a maid at home when you were growing up? Both my parents worked full time and raised 3 kids without ever having had a maid in the house, and I put to you that the social support was even worse then. This is short term, the day will come where having live-in help will again be only for the minority as it will become prohibitively expensive for anyone else. We may as well be ready for it.

[pupilview]

[Actually I advise parents not to give birth unless they have sorted out proper childcare arrangement, financial support, etc.


When you calculate too much … you will never be satisfied with life.

[znzyzyzx]

As reported in the strait times a while back , this could be some agencies way to trying to prevent their fees from decreasing because there is a new rule that enabled them to charge max 2 months maid’s salary.

[tamarind]

3Boys:

This is a multi-faceted issue, of which, only 2 aspects have so far pre-dominated in this discussion.


1) Working life in Singapore is too hard for working mums and therefore a maid is not a luxury by a NECESSITY.

2) Maids wages in Singapore should be kept low due to a. Low wages of Singaporeans b. Wonderful working conditions in Singapore compared to other countries c. Poor skills levels of maids here d. Any combination of the above.

Let me put forth a few more for your consideration;

a. Social equity: Consider what the maid actually takes home. Is it a princely sum? Is it fair pay for the work that she is doing?

There is a lot of talk here about income inequality, but it is completely one-sided i.e. the employer/govt ought to pay us more. However, as employers (those with maids) ourselves, do we consider what is a fair wage to pay for the work that is done? If the maids work is only worth $380 a month, can you find a Singaporean to do that same job for that amount of money? Obviously there is a HUGE disconnect, and we KNOW that the work product is worth far more than that in the local context. Other countries realise it too, and thats why the are paying higher wages to their maids than we are.

b. The reality of supply and demand: The local supply is drying up. Maids are not silly, they talk to each other, they know where the better pay is, they know where better working conditions are, and like us, when we are looking for a job, they will weigh it all up. If we, as working adults, know how to assess prospective employers, so do they. To sum it up, it is a global competition for labour, and right now, we are losing. The competing markets (HK, Malaysia, ME) are all fully aware of the value that these maids bring to the household, as you are all aware. If one chooses to only pay $350-$380 for a maid, in the near future, one may not be able to land one, simple law of supply and demand.

c. Dependence on foreign labour: Why is there the levy and other rules governing the employment of maids? Some are equity based, like health insurance, protection against abuse. Others are clearly drafted to dampen the demand for dependency on foreign labour. Is it not already obvious how addicted we are to maids, as evidenced in 1)? We simply cannot live without them, regardless of whether it cause us issues at home or financial worries. Now the mantra is \"No Maid, No Baby\". How ridiculous! I am glad the government sees the woods for the trees and refuses to be blackmailed.

Do we believe that cheap maid help will last forever? Already the economic realities will cause a narrowing of the wages between such workers and their employers, like what is seen in the US. Do we not realise that we become vulnerable to geopolitical forces if we continue such dependence? Like being dependent for water? What if Indonesia and Phillipines decide to turn off the tap? Then what, we all die?


Lt me go back to 1) for a minute. In my view, it is false. The issue of a working mum wanting time to relax and be willing to pay for the privilege is true not just here in Singapore. So the comparison with other countries is completely relevant. Are mums in SG more stressed than elsewhere? Its the same question as whether Singaporeans are smarter and more hardworking than people elsewhere. IMO, having worked with a number of different nationalities, is that WE think we ARE, but in reality, we absolutely ARE NOT. The fact is that I have observed a number of working couples with children who manage without maids. It CAN be done, and if you are facing a tight financial situation, you really OUGHT to be thinking about it. Is there an easy answer to this? Clearly not, and families around the world grapple with it, and often solve it without resorting to live-in help. You have to make some compromises, less enrichment for the kids, eat out less, have a cheaper cell-phone plan.

Lets be clear, we are the outliers here, not the rest of the world. The phenomenon of huge numbers of families having maids is a relatively recent occurrence. How many of you had a maid at home when you were growing up? Both my parents worked full time and raised 3 kids without ever having had a maid in the house, and I put to you that the social support was even worse then. This is short term, the day will come where having live-in help will again be only for the minority as it will become prohibitively expensive for anyone else. We may as well be ready for it.

I often encountered people asking similar questions in my blog.

There are many misconceptions about maids, especially by people who have never employed maids before. Many people are making the wrong assumptions because they know very little about maids.

Read my blog to learn more :
http://singaporemaid.blogspot.com/2010/05/misconceptions-about-maids.html

Read every topic in the left column of my blog to learn the truth about maids in Singapore.

Also, note that a person who has not employed any maids before, or have only employed one maid, will not be able to understand the difficulty of many other employers.

[tamarind]

pupilview:

[Actually I advise parents not to give birth unless they have sorted out proper childcare arrangement, financial support, etc.


When you calculate too much ... you will never be satisfied with life.

Many parents abort their 3rd child, because they think that they are not able to afford it. Why get pregnant in the first place ?

Many parents put their kids with 24x7 babysitters, because they work full time and it is too tough to look after them. Kids hardly know their parents.

Do you think it is right to bring a child to this world to suffer ?

Just to let you know, I planned everything very well, even the age gap between my 2 kids is according to my plan. Except for one year when I encountered 4 bad maids, everything went according to plan. I am very satisfied with my life now, all thanks to good planning.

[raynreg]

Hi LKVM, you mean the loan in the mkt now is 8-9 mths :!: regardless of nationality? I’ve lost touch but i think mine was 6-7 mths oni lei.


Wah going by this, sooner or later the helper’s first year of pay all goes to agency liao