H.E. Minister of Labor and Social Development Dr. Ali bin Nasser Al-Ghafis signed a bilateral agreement with H.E. Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia’s Minister of Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs Mr. Abdul-Fatah Abdullah in Jeddah, focusing on recruiting Ethiopian domestic workers. It comes within the Ministry of Labor and Social Development’s efforts to expand the scope of labor-exporting countries and meet the growing demand of well-skilled and trained domestic workers. According to the agreement, the Ethiopian government should offer qualified domestic workers who are medically fit to carry out their specific tasks as per Saudi regulations and also must have no criminal record. Among the necessary measures taken by the Ethiopian ministry, the domestic workers should receive training at specialized household institutes in Ethiopia and must be aware of Saudi regulations and traditions and the nature of work contract. The MLSD said the signing agreement offers a legal framework that enhances cooperation among the labor parties and protect the rights of employers and domestic workers, as well as governing the contractual relationships between them. At the ceremony, both ministries stressed under the joint agreement that recruiting Ethiopian workers should be done through recruitment offices, companies, manpower agencies or job placement centers that operate under valid licenses. Moreover, the labor parties should cling to unified work contracts as both countries seek to control recruitment expenses in their countries. The Ethiopian Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs pledged to make sure their domestic workers are well-informed of the Saudi customs and regulations while they work in Saudi Arabia, as well as verifying documents on Ethiopian workers submitted by their local manpower agencies. Meanwhile, the MLSD assured that the recruitment of Ethiopian workers in Saudi Arabia would be done as per the recruitment regulations and rules. Also, it emphasized the ministry’s keenness to protect the rights of employers and domestic workers. Additionally, it facilitates the employers’ move to open up bank accounts under the name of workers, so they can transfer their monthly salaries to their respective country as mentioned in the work contract.