About 240,000 domestic helpers working in Singapore. Out of these 240,000, nearly half are Indonesian, 70,000 maids are from the Philippine, Myanmar maid and Indian maid makes up almost all the rest.
In this article, we try to compare Filipino and Indonesian maid in a few areas to help the employer make an informed decision in selecting maid.
The points mentioned are the summary of the general perceptions that we find in online forums, facebook groups as well as views shared by neighbours and friends who have hired maids before, These may not reflect individual maid’s true personal ability or characteristics.
In the Year 2017 |
Indonesian Maid |
Filipino Maid |
Average Salary |
$594 |
$596 |
Median Salary |
$585 |
$585 |
Minimum Salary |
$550 |
$570 |
|
Indonesian Maid |
Filipino Maid |
Religion |
Mostly is Muslim; it is not common to find Christian. |
Almost all are either Catholic or Christian. |
It should be noted that many Indonesian maids can still help their employers handle the pork although they are not allowed to eat pork.
Language is critical for day-to-day communication. It is good if the maid can speak clear English.
|
Indonesian Maid |
Filipino Maid |
Language ability |
Many new maids have problem in understanding English, they may not be able to understand your instruction. They may not be able to express themselves. |
Most Filipino maids are able to understand employers’ instruction and are able to express themselves clearly. |
Some employers also feedback that their jobs are mostly routine daily task, language ability will become less important once the helpers get used to the regular job.
|
Indonesian Maid |
Filipino Maid |
Working Attitude |
(a) Indonesian maids are found to be hardworking. (b) Maybe because of their language ability, sometimes they are slow to understand your requirement. |
(a) Filipino maids are effective in their jobs. (b) Many employers find Filipino maids hard to manage as they are too “smart”, they always have trick to get around thing. |
|
Indonesian maid |
Filipino maid |
Personal characteristics |
(a) Many are easy going. (b) They are generally quite Introvert. |
(a) They are more outgoing. (b) Some employers feel they are arrogant and are more demanding. |
|
Indonesian Maid |
Filipino Maid |
Cooking skill |
It seems to be a consensus among employers that the Indonesian maids, especially one who is married, can cook well. |
With training, the Filipino maids may be able to help you prepare the food. |
Last, based on a survey conducted by Babyment, maid agency fee need to hire an Indonesian maid is generally different from fee required to hire a Filipino maid. As different maid agencies have a different service fee, we are unable to quantify the difference.
Looking For Indonesian or Filipino Maid
You can click Indonesian maid or Filipino Maid to find maid that meets your requirement.