About 200 social media accounts were shut down in the UAE in the first half of this year for promoting unlicensed recruitment services for domestic workers.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has advised families seeking domestic workers to verify the legitimacy of advertisements before making any payments. Employers and families are required to use only licensed recruitment offices.
The accounts shut down by authorities advertised employment without the required permits and were not affiliated with licensed recruitment offices, putting them in breach of UAE employment law.
The ministry, in collaboration with the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority, identified and closed the accounts.
Why licensed companies are important
The ministry said it used field inspection teams and electronic monitoring and tracking systems to identify unauthorised practices. Officials also use artificial intelligence to detect offenders.
Such measures help to protect employers and families using domestic worker services.
Authorities recommend using established recruitment services when hiring domestic workers, because they provide guarantees that protect the rights of all parties.
Licensed recruitment offices, meanwhile, must provide clear contracts and approved prices and service packages. They must also ensure workers meet all legal requirements and procedures.
How to hire domestic workers
Families hiring domestic workers can either use a recruitment office licensed by the ministry or recruit directly without an intermediary.
When using a licensed recruitment office, the employer signs a contract with the agency and receives the guarantees provided under the UAE's Domestic Workers Law. By contrast, direct recruitment is carried out under a ministry-approved undertaking and does not include those statutory guarantees.
Employers must also sign a standard two-year employment contract setting out the worker's salary, job and working conditions. Employers must pay wages within 10 days of their due date.
What employers must provide
For stay-at-home domestic workers, employers must provide suitable accommodation, food and work clothes, as well as mandatory health insurance. Workers are entitled to keep their own identification documents, including their passport and Emirates ID.
Working hours are capped at 12 hours a day, with at least 12 hours of daily rest, which must include eight consecutive hours. Domestic workers are entitled to one paid day off each week, at least 30 days of paid annual leave and a return air ticket home every two years.
Misleading practices or advertisements promoting unlicensed domestic worker services can be reported by calling 600 590 000.
