What is the MOM Rating for Maid Agency?
For starters, the MOM rating for Maid Agency was introduced in 2016. It aims to improve service standards in the Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW) industry.
It provides a platform for employers to share their review on the employment agency’s services that they have used. And by referring on the reviews by other existing clients, it may help prospective employers who are looking to hire a maid to make a decision on which maid agency they would like to engage.
It primarily covers on 4 areas:
I. Clear Fee Structure
II. Ease of Communication
III. Matching of FDW to Employer
IV. Will you recommend the maid agency to a friend?
In this article, we will go into detail on how to interpret the various metrics used to rate the maid agencies.
I. Clear Fee Structure
In this section, it is actually a concise form to the question “How well did your EA explain the application process, fees, service contract and the FDW employment contract to you?”
In essence, it focuses on transparency in terms of pricing and fee structure. This is an important hallmark of a responsible and good maid agency – clear pricing structure with no hidden costs presented to you in the last minute.
Another aspect of a good maid agency is one that clearly explains the the procedures – FDW work permit application, service agreement or contract with the maid agency and maid employment contract with employer etc.
II. Ease of Communication
In the feedback, this component is from the question: “How helpful was your EA when you needed advice or help?”
It evaluates the willingness of your maid agency in assist you when you require their advice and assistance pertaining to the helper that you have hired and also on other matters relating to it.
III. Matching of FDW to Employer
How able was your EA in finding an FDW that meets your need?
Basically, this part of the feedback seeks to understand the ability of the employment agency in finding a good match of a maid to your family.
This component is perhaps the most important as after all, the key for most employers is to have a reliable maid that they can count on.
In the Ministry of Manpower’s website metrics, this component is reflected by the transfer rate and retention rate.
Transfer Rate
The transfer rate is defined as the “Percentage of FDWs placed by the agency who have transferred to 3 or more employers within 1 year
This is important. As the transfer rate tells of the job matching ability of the maid agency. A maid agency that has a high transfer rate, by an large can be interpreted as having a high level of mismatches.
As a responsible and reliable maid agency, we do not place out maids with issues to another household.
Retention Rate
This metric measures the percentage of FDWs who have stayed on with the same employer for at least one year. For retention rate, the higher the better.
IV. Will you recommend the Maid Agency to a Friend?
This metric essentially looks at how comfortable you are with the services that you have received as a FDW employer. Of course, apart from how comfortable you are, you will also consider how professional the maid agency was and how seamless the hiring process was and if they were there for you if you needed assistance.
Looking into all that, it will form up on how you will recommend your the maid agency to a friend.
Putting it All Together
By putting all of the various metrics together, a star-rating is derived with the highest as a 5-Star rating. Typically, as human beings, we rarely give full marks for anything even though we can be very happy or pleased. As such, an agency with a rating of 4+ is considered to be a very good maid agency in Singapore.
The Perfect Maid Agency
5-Star rating, 0% transfer rate, N/A Retention Rate.
Should you immediately approach them?
Well, do take note that a relatively new agency with less than 1 year of experience will show up as having N/A in Retention Rate;
“But their Experience is stated as 1 year”
-Well, the ratings system by default shows an estimate, and the nearest estimate is in shown in “years”. So an agency that is actually less than 1 year old may show up as “1 year” in experience. (This will normalise after the first year i.e. from second year onwards, the Years of Experience will be more accurate”)
A barely 1-year old maid agency may also show inflated figures for retention rates because their first few FDWs may have stayed beyond a year and on passing the 1-year mark, it will definitely be 100%!
We will need to look holistically:
-Look out for the number of reviews the maid agency has received (if it has a relatively high score, and a high number of reviews, then the score is likely to be the sentiments of the sum of all of its clients).
-Always compare the retention rate together with the transfer rate and the total placements done.
Additional Questions
Should I hire a maid from a maid agency with high placement volume?
There is no definite yes or no to this question. The placement volume refers to the business of the maid agency – the more placement, the better their business. However, higher placement volumes doesn’t speak about quality of service or helpers provided. It could well be that they have invested a lot into marketing or their staff have had their numbers to meet. However, the Placement Volume is still an important figure to look at – after all, you do want to look for a reliable maid agency who will still be around when you need them and not close their shutters due to poor business.
While there will not be a perfect maid agency, what you will need is a good maid agency who is able to take care of all your requirements, deal ethically and keep your interests at heart.
Is there a MOM Recommended Maid Agency?
No, there is no MOM recommended maid agency. However, as mentioned in the previous sections, you can sieve out a employers’ recommended maid agency based on the ratings provided. Often these employers’ recommended maid agency are relatively highly rated and in general provide good and meticulous service.
Credits and References:
Customer ratings for FDW-placing employment agencies
Disclaimer: All information provided in this article is provided for the purpose of providing information and to the best of our knowledge. GM Connection and its staff disclaims any liability and shall not be held responsible in any way in connection with the use of the information provided.