Qatar agency first to meet new $500 minimum wage for Filipino domestic workers

The Migrant Workers Office (MWO) in Doha has recognized the first Qatar-based recruitment agency to comply with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) directive raising the minimum monthly salary of Filipino household service workers (HSWs) to $500 (QAR 1,825).

Labor Attaché Atty. Eduard Ferrer formally awarded a Certificate of Recognition to Al Tamayouz Manpower in a simple ceremony, commending the agency for promptly adjusting the salaries of Filipino domestic workers as reflected in its recently approved job order.

Ferrer lauded the agency for its swift compliance to the new wage policy, underscoring its commitment to promoting the welfare of Filipino workers.

“MWO Qatar values the agency’s dedication to uplifting the lives of Filipino domestic workers through fair compensation, and we look forward to building an even stronger partnership in promoting decent and dignified employment,” Ferrer said.

The directive, DMW Memorandum Circular No. 03, Series of 2025, forms part of the government’s continuing efforts to uphold fair labor standards, ethical recruitment, and enhanced welfare for Filipino migrant workers. It sets out operational guidelines for the phased implementation of the US$500 minimum monthly salary for Filipino domestic workers deployed overseas.

The wage adjustment, under the government’s Enhanced Reform Program, seeks to restore the real value of domestic workers’ compensation, which was last officially adjusted in 2006.

Under the memorandum, a six-month transition period allows employers of both new hires and re-hires to voluntarily adopt the new wage rate. After this period, the DMW will conduct a compliance audit and may mandate full implementation based on the findings.

To encourage ethical recruitment practices and fair compensation, the DMW is also offering incentives to compliant foreign employers and partner Philippine recruitment agencies (PRAs).

The policy is currently being rolled out in key host countries, including Qatar, which employs around 250,000 Filipinos contributing about $900 million in annual remittances to the Philippines.