For a few months, singapore can't bring in new domestic helpers. Without transactions, maid agencies have no business.
Concurrently, many domestic helpers in many families began to stage a revolt and requested change of employers. Each change will cost employers money (after six months) and if the employers refuse, the helpers will complain of abuses, cry, here pain there pain everywhere pain pain, or quarrel with the family.
According to market whisper, many of these maid agencies have contacted and encouraged your maids (who worked 5-12 months) to chu pattern in your household, the maid agencies will also tell you that you stand to lose more money if you send them back to their country, so the best is to leave it to them to do a transfer.
To further entice the maids to rebel against their employers, these maid agencies also promise reimbursements for maids who successfully make it back to them. Then the maid-agencies can happily churn their "inventory"