Saudi Arabia rejects an Ethiopia domestic worker recruitment ban, saying few contracts were cancelled and all Musaned services and fees remain unchanged.
Elijah Ntongai is an experienced editor at TUKO.co.ke, with more than four years in financial, business, labour and technology research and reporting. His work provides valuable insights into Kenyan, African, and global trends.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has rejected claims that it cancelled domestic worker recruitment from Ethiopia, describing the reports as inaccurate and misleading.
Saudi Arabia has confirmed it has not implemented a blanket ban on Ethiopian domestic worker recruitment. Photo: Gulf News. Source: UGCThe ministry issued its clarification on October 29, 2026, also disputing a separate claim that the alleged cancellations were tied to a 30% rise in recruitment costs.
According to the ministry, the cancellations were confined to a small number of contracts that had stalled because certain overseas labour recruitment agencies failed to meet their obligations to licensed Saudi recruitment companies.
The step was taken to protect the rights of those seeking domestic workers and to preserve the quality and dependability of the recruitment process.
The ministry framed the decision as a corrective measure aimed at reducing delays and ensuring that recruitment procedures could be completed without further disruption to beneficiaries.
Authorities stressed that domestic worker recruitment services through the Musaned platform continue to operate normally and that the approved costs remain unchanged.
The ministry was explicit that the contract cancellations have no connection to any adjustment in recruitment fees.
The clarification came amid circulating reports that had suggested a broader suspension of Ethiopian worker recruitment through the platform, a characterisation the ministry firmly rejected.
Ethiopia is one of the primary source countries for domestic workers in Saudi Arabia, and any disruption to that recruitment channel tends to draw significant attention from both Ethiopian authorities and diaspora communities.
The ministry's statement sought to draw a clear distinction between a targeted administrative action against non-compliant agencies and a policy-level decision affecting all recruitment from Ethiopia.
Elijah Ntongai (Business editor) Elijah Ntongai is an MCK-accredited journalist and an editor at TUKO.co.ke's business desk, covering stories on money, the economy, technology, and other business-angled stories. Ntongai graduated from Moi University with a Bachelor's in Linguistics, Media and Communication. For any correspondence, contact Ntongai at elijah.ntongai@tuko.co.ke.
