PUTRAJAYA, Oct. 9 -- The Philippines' plan to raise the minimum salary of its domestic helpers from US$400 to US$500 (about RM1,800 to RM2,200) is an unnecessary financial burden for employers here and could discourage locals from hiring them legally, an unnecessary financial burden for employers.

The Association of Employment Agencies Malaysia (PAPA) said the issue was discussed in a recent meeting with the Human Resources Ministry's Policy Division, chaired by its secretary, Rafea'ah Nahar.

"The Gulf countries have rejected the proposal and the Philippines government had retracted the implementation there, and it is hoped it would do the same in Malaysia," PAPA president Datuk Foo Yong Hooi said in a media statement today.

Foo said M...