DMW to fully enforce $500 new minimum salary for Pinoy domestic workers
Photo Caption: The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said the $100 raise from $400 to $500/month for Filipino domestic workers is the first in 20 years and forms part of a broader reform program to boost protections, adjust for inflation and improve living standards for household service workers abroad. | Photo by Pexels | Liliana Drew (Royalty-free photo)
MANILA — Filipino domestic workers hired overseas are set to receive a minimum monthly salary of $500 under a Department of Migrant Workers policy that began phased implementation in late 2025, with a compliance review due after a six-month transition period in 2026.
It’s the first change to the Philippine-set minimum for overseas domestic workers since 2006, according to the DMW’s account of the reform.
The policy is contained in DMW Memorandum Circular No. 03, Series of 2025, or the “Operational Guidelines for the Progressive Implementation of the USD500 Minimum Monthly Salary for Domestic Workers.”
It followed DMW Advisory No. 25, signed by Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac on Aug. 22, 2025, which raised the wage floor from $400 to $500. It is due for implementation in 2026.
There are over 2.4 million total Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the Middle East. Hundreds of thousands are specifically employed in domestic and household service roles across Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain.
The increase applies to newly-hired Filipino domestic workers and returning workers whose contracts are renewed, including those returning from vacation or re-hired by their previous employers.
The new wage is to be integrated into employment contracts processed by the DMW and its Migrant Workers Offices.
In December, the DMW said it had received 3,000 job orders offering the $500 monthly salary, with employers in Malaysia and Hong Kong among the early adopters.
Key provisions
New wage floor: At least $500 a month, up $100 from the former $400 minimum. The rate is a Philippine deployment standard and does not prevent workers from receiving higher pay under host-country law or individual employment agreements.
Covered workers: Newly hired domestic workers and returning workers, including those renewing contracts or re-hired after coming home to the Philippines.
