'Super-skilled' domestic workers in Singapore earn 10% more pay as demand rises

Source: CNA

SINGAPORE: Ms Joselyn Rosete is not your ordinary migrant domestic worker.

The Filipina can recite the names of her employer's medications for end-stage renal disease. Just after a few months of working in Singapore, she has also put together meal plans and a medical appointment roster.

She told CNA that she checks the elderly man's blood pressure and blood sugar twice a day, and knows when the levels have reached "red flag" territory - thanks to her upskilling efforts in the Philippines.

The 44-year-old is among a growing generation of maids who are learning new skills to get better pay and job prospects.

Amid Singapore's greying population, demand for such "premium" and "super-skilled" helpers has risen up to 30 per cent in the last few years, according to employment firms.

These firms also said that a third more employers have wanted to hire maids with paper qualifications or certified skills - like Ms Rosete - over the last few years. These employers are even willing to pay 10 per cent more to secure their services.