PUTRAJAYA, Oct 9 — The Association of Employment Agencies Malaysia (PAPA) has proposed creating a new category of “residential cleaners” for households that prefer part-time help instead of live-in maids.
PAPA said many Malaysians now prefer privacy and only need cleaning assistance occasionally, not full-time domestic help.
“Many households prefer privacy and do not prefer live-in domestic helpers. They would prefer residential cleaners who come in periodically to clean the houses,” PAPA president Datuk Foo Yong Hooi said in a media statement today.
He said such services were already in high demand but currently carried out by foreigners working illegally.
“Many foreigners are already doing this illegally. PAPA proposed this sector to be regularised,” he said.
Foo added that recognising residential cleaners as a legitimate work sector would help regulate the market and protect both workers and employers.
“We are not only addressing demand but ensuring legal protection and safety for everyone involved,” he said.
During the meeting with the Human Resources Ministry’s Policy Division, PAPA also proposed adding several new sub-sectors – including caregivers for nursing homes and elderly care centres, and workers for car wash and community centres – to prevent illegal employment in those areas.
The association further raised issues of slow approvals for Centralised Labour Quarters and Temporary Labour Quarters, saying some applications have taken more than a year to process due to overlapping requirements from multiple agencies.
PAPA hopes the Housing and Local Government Ministry will streamline the process through clearer guidelines.
