MAID agencies may soon have a new source to draw domestic help from, as the Association of Employment Agencies Singapore (AEAS) looks to introducing more Bangladeshi maids to the market.
The move could provide relief for agencies facing supply constraints due to the recent tightening of laws in the Philippines, making it tougher to bring in Filipino maids.
Seven out of 11 maid agencies contacted by The Straits Times said they now bring in fewer maids from the Philippines.
Ms Shirley Ng, president of the AEAS, said she and three other management committee members recently visited Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, to explore the feasibility of increasing the number of Bangladeshi maids here.
Ms Ng said she met Bangladeshi government officials on Aug 19, and had an 'informal and candid dialogue session' about the matter.
While media reports earlier last week claimed that 45,000 maids from Bangladesh are expected to be recruited and may arrive here by the end of the year as a result of the talks, Ms Ng clarified that no numbers have been confirmed yet.
