Following bans in Saudi Arabia on maids from Indonesia and the Philippines, locals are apparently having a tough time recruiting domestic help.

Reports the Saudi newspaper Arab News:

After numerous difficulties faced in recruiting maids from abroad, many Saudis are now turning to their relatives in neighboring countries, especially Kuwait and Qatar, for help.

In those countries, it takes as little as one month to recruit maids from abroad and that too with an average price of SR7,000.

Maids from Kenya and Ethiopia take many times longer to arrive and cost much more, according to the report. Saudis complained too that illegal domestic help charge much higher rates and are unreliable.