The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced that a part of its eight-part reform program will increase the minimum wage rate for Filipino domestic workers to $500 per month from the current rate of $400.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac announced that the new minimum wage is set to take effect 60 days from issuance.
“[T]o ensure just remuneration and uphold the right of every domestic worker to fair wages, the Department shall implement an increase in the minimum monthly wage for the Filipino domestic workers from $400 to at least $500,” Cacdac said in a Friday press briefing.
“These reforms reinforce the Philippine government’s commitment to decent work, ethical recruitment, and strengthened welfare mechanisms for Filipino domestic workers deployed abroad,” he added.
The DMW likewise vowed to be stricter regarding housing standards for recruitment, ensuring decent accommodation for workers waiting for deployment.
Cacdac said that most Filipino domestic workers are deployed to the “big four” countries: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, and Kuwait.
DMW Advisory No. 25 s. 2025 also includes provisions for medical check-ups, the “Know Your Employer” protocol, and a rights-based approach through legal and other forms of assistance available under the DMW Aksyon Fund.
A 60-day transition period will apply to all recruitment agencies and employers in the Philippines or abroad who hire newly employed domestic workers under new contracts, as well as those who hire vacationing or returning domestic workers whose contracts have been renewed.
