RIYADH: The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has launched the Wage Protection Service for domestic labor salaries, starting July 1. The move is part of ministry initiatives to develop the domestic labor sector and ensure the rights of employers and domestic workers. The service aims to facilitate and ensure transparency of salary payments by using digital wallets and banks authorized on the Musaned platform. This service promotes safety and reliability in transferring salaries, thereby preserving the rights of contractual parties, the Saudi Press Agency reported. HIGH LIGHT The service is expected to include all domestic workers by Jan. 1, 2026. The ministry said that the service applies to domestic workers under new contracts and will be applied to current contracts in stages, depending on the number of domestic workers for each employer. The ministry also noted that the service will be applied to those who have more than four domestic workers starting Jan. 1, 2025, to those who have three or more domestic workers starting July 1, 2025, and to those who have two or more domestic workers starting Oct. 1, 2025. It added that the service is expected to include all domestic workers by Jan. 1, 2026, mentioning that it has been optionally available on Musaned since April 1, 2022, and has received widespread positive interaction from customers and contractual parties. Paying the salaries of domestic workers through specific formal channels has several benefits for the employer because it provides proof of wages paid for domestic labor, makes it easier for the employer to terminate the worker’s procedures at the end of the contractual relationship or when traveling, and protects the employer and the employee in the event of a disagreement.