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DMW Job Orders for Household Workers 2026 by Country
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Quick answer
We counted DMW job orders for household workers on the public list of the Department of Migrant Workers, synced on 25 October 2026. We found 10,212 approved job orders with 340,115 slots for household work, from 541 agencies and for 45 jobsites. Saudi Arabia (89,325 slots) and Hong Kong (85,081 slots) hold just over half of them.
The whole list we read holds 131,351 job orders and 1,260,225 slots. Household titles have about 27% of all slots and about 8% of all orders. This post uses the same method as our count of DMW approved job orders by country.
What counts as a household worker job order?
The DMW list does not sort jobs by type. So we searched the position title. A row counts as a household worker order when its title contains household, domestic, housemaid, kasambahay or servant.
We left out titles that also name another job: driver, cook, gardener, nurse, caregiver, caretaker, babysitter, nanny, tutor or teacher. That keeps out titles such as "cook household" (373 slots), "driver domestic" (365 slots), "domestic worker/nanny" (148 slots) and "housemaid/babysitter" (97 slots). Caretaker titles are not in this count either.
For each order, the DMW list shows a balance. In this post we call it "slots". It is the number of workers still listed for that order. It is not a count of jobs still open, and it is not a promise of work. A balance can already be filled when you read it. The list also does not show pay, contract terms or working conditions.
Which countries have the most job orders for household workers?
These are the 10 destinations with the most household worker slots on the list synced on 25 October 2026.
| Destination | Job orders | Slots (balance) | Agencies with household orders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 5,398 | 89,325 | 376 |
| Hong Kong | 901 | 85,081 | 153 |
| Malaysia | 578 | 41,396 | 196 |
| Oman | 323 | 23,077 | 136 |
| Qatar | 405 | 18,123 | 190 |
| United Arab Emirates | 463 | 17,948 | 148 |
| Kuwait | 494 | 15,465 | 194 |
| Bahrain | 307 | 15,307 | 140 |
| Jordan | 220 | 14,411 | 94 |
| Singapore | 390 | 12,092 | 97 |
| All 45 jobsites | 10,212 | 340,115 | 541 |
DMW job orders for household workers by destination, 2026, source: https://dmw.gov.ph/inquiry/approved-job-orders
The order sizes differ a lot. Saudi Arabia has more than half of all household orders (5,398), but each one is small: about 17 slots per order. Hong Kong has only 901 orders, yet they list about 94 slots each. Malaysia is third with 41,396 slots.
These 10 destinations hold 332,225 slots, about 98% of the total. The other 35 jobsites share 7,890 slots. The next ones are Turkey (55 orders, 2,288 slots), Cyprus (52 orders, 2,202 slots), Romania (28 orders, 851 slots), Brunei Darussalam (38 orders, 523 slots) and Morocco (9 orders, 411 slots).
How much of each country's list is household work?
For some countries, household work is almost the whole list. For others, it is a smaller part. The table compares household worker slots with all slots for the same country.
| Destination | Household worker slots | All slots for the country | Household share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong | 85,081 | 87,572 | 97% |
| Jordan | 14,411 | 14,799 | 97% |
| Malaysia | 41,396 | 55,622 | 74% |
| Oman | 23,077 | 32,723 | 71% |
| Bahrain | 15,307 | 26,281 | 58% |
| Saudi Arabia | 89,325 | 176,113 | 51% |
| Kuwait | 15,465 | 31,527 | 49% |
| Qatar | 18,123 | 42,955 | 42% |
| United Arab Emirates | 17,948 | 64,779 | 28% |
| Singapore | 12,092 | 48,877 | 25% |
Share of household worker slots in each destination's DMW job orders, 2026, source: https://dmw.gov.ph/inquiry/approved-job-orders
In Hong Kong and Jordan, nearly every slot on the list is for household work. In Saudi Arabia it is about half. In the United Arab Emirates and Singapore it is about a quarter, because those lists also hold many other jobs.
Which job titles should I search on the DMW list?
The same work appears under many titles. These are the titles with the most household worker slots:
| Position title on the list | Slots (balance) |
|---|---|
| Domestic helper | 110,814 |
| Worker household service | 87,394 |
| Worker domestic | 46,106 |
| Housemaid | 43,895 |
| Domestic worker | 21,234 |
| Household worker | 14,823 |
| Domestic worker female | 4,342 |
| Household domestic worker | 2,617 |
Position titles with the most slots on DMW job orders for household workers, 2026, source: https://dmw.gov.ph/inquiry/approved-job-orders
The first six titles hold 324,266 slots, about 95% of the total. Smaller titles add words such as "female", "stay in" or "servant". One title even appears twice, once with a full stop at the end ("worker household service.", 1,729 slots).
So search the DMW list under more than one title. If an agency calls the job "domestic helper", its order may say "worker household service" or "housemaid". Read the exact title on each order and check that it matches the work you were offered.
When were these job orders approved?
By month of approval in 2026, the household worker slots in our copy are:
- January: 10,529
- February: 13,447
- March: 13,049
- April: 12,910
- May: 15,613
- June: 13,595
- July: 19,682
- August: 20,322
- September: 28,744
- October, up to 23 October: 12,019
Orders approved in 2026 hold 159,910 slots, about 47% of all household worker slots. The rest were approved in earlier years.
Do not read this as growth or decline. The public list holds mostly recent orders, so older months look smaller. And October is not over.
How we counted. We read the public DMW approved job orders list in our weekly copy, synced on 25 October 2026. A row counts for a country when its jobsite is that country. A row counts as household work under the title rules above. We name no agency and no employer in this post.
How do I check a household worker job order before I pay?
Use the list as a check, not as a job board. These numbers do not rank agencies or countries. A high count says nothing about pay or how employers treat workers. Before you pay anything or sign any paper:
- Search the agency on the DMW list of licensed recruitment agencies. Read the license status and expiry date.
- Search the same agency on the DMW approved job orders page. Check that the jobsite and the position title match your offer.
- If the agency has no approved order for that country and position, ask it to explain. Report it to DMW if the answer is not clear.
Our guide on how to check an agency explains both searches step by step. You can see the agencies with orders for Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and every other country on our pages. They copy the public DMW lists, so confirm on the DMW website before you act.
For services once you are abroad, see our country pages for Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia, and our guide to OWWA membership and benefits.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the most DMW job orders for household workers?
Saudi Arabia has the most. In our copy of the public DMW list synced on 25 October 2026, Saudi Arabia has 5,398 household worker orders with 89,325 slots. Hong Kong is close behind with 85,081 slots on only 901 orders. Together they hold just over half of the 340,115 household worker slots. These are counts from the DMW list, not counts of jobs still open.
Does a slot on a household worker job order mean a job is waiting for me?
No. A slot is the balance that the DMW list shows for each order: the number of workers still listed. A balance can already be filled by the time you read it. A job order is permission for a licensed agency to recruit for that employer, country and position. Ask the agency what is still needed, and check the DMW list again, before you pay anything or sign any paper.
What job titles do household worker orders use on the DMW list?
The same work has many names. In our count, the titles with the most slots are domestic helper, worker household service, worker domestic, housemaid, domestic worker and household worker. These six titles hold about 95% of the household worker slots. Some titles add female, stay in or servant. When you check an agency, search the list and read the exact title on each order.
Are nanny, cook and family driver orders counted as household work here?
No. We left out titles that also name another job, such as driver, cook, gardener, nurse, caregiver, caretaker, babysitter, nanny, tutor or teacher. So titles like cook household, driver domestic and housemaid/babysitter are not in our count. They are small: each has a few hundred slots or fewer. If your offer mixes two jobs, read the full title on the order.
How do I check an agency that offers me a domestic helper job abroad?
Search the agency on the DMW list of licensed recruitment agencies and read its license status and expiry date. Then search the same agency on the DMW approved job orders page. Check that the jobsite and the position title match your offer. Both searches are free and need no account. Our guide on how to check an agency explains each step.
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