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Fiona Sun

Hong Kong will introduce a pilot scheme next year to bring in foreign domestic carers to look after older residents as part of a broader package of measures announced in the policy address to deal with an ageing population.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in his address on Wednesday that the government would admit carers under a scheme modelled on the city’s existing foreign domestic helper regime.
“With reference to the existing regime for admitting foreign domestic helpers, the government will admit foreign domestic carers with more advanced training and experience in elderly care on a pilot basis,” he said.
“This will help meet the care needs of elderly persons living at home.”
A government source said the pilot scheme aimed to expand the pool of recruits and attract people with relevant skills in response to Hong Kong’s ageing population.
Those employed under the new scheme must have experience in caring for the elderly and undergo relevant training in their home countries, he said.
The source added that authorities had not ruled out setting a higher minimum monthly wage for recruits under the new scheme than the amount paid to helpers.
The current minimum allowable wage for helpers is HK$5,100 (US$654) a month.

The source also said basic requirements for the existing regime for helpers, including the live-in rule, would apply to the new scheme.
The scheme would be open to people from countries currently covered by the domestic helper regime, he said.
No quota would be imposed on the number of carers admitted under the pilot scheme, he added.
The government was in talks with relevant consulates to work out details, including the content and duration of the training required for recruits, the source said, adding that the scheme would be launched next year.
Hong Kong had more than 378,000 foreign domestic helpers last year, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia.
The pilot scheme was among a series of measures Lee announced on Wednesday to build an age-friendly society, including the setting up of three new residential care homes for the elderly, providing about 400 places.
The government will increase the number of community care service vouchers for the elderly by 2,000 to 18,000 in the 2027-28 financial year, while the number of residential care service vouchers for the elderly will rise by 1,000 to 8,000.
Five new subsidised day-care facilities for the elderly will be established, providing about 200 service places.
In rapidly ageing Hong Kong, the number of people aged 65 and above is projected to nearly double from 1.45 million in 2021 to 2.74 million by 2046, when more than one in three residents will be elderly.


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Chief Executive John Lee says in policy address that the government will admit carers under a scheme modelled on domestic helper regime


Chief Executive John Lee says in policy address that the government will admit carers under a scheme modelled on domestic helper regime.


Hong Kong launching pilot scheme to bring in foreign carers for the elderly

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Chief Executive John Lee says in policy address that the government will admit carers under a scheme modelled on domestic helper regime

Chief Executive John Lee says in policy address that the government will admit carers under a scheme modelled on domestic helper regime