appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Elizabeth Cheung

Emily Hung

Foreign domestic carers brought to Hong Kong to look after elderly residents under a proposed government pilot scheme would receive 10 to 20 per cent more pay than existing helpers, the labour minister has said.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han on Friday revealed additional details about the arrangement for foreign domestic carers, as the government also released a comprehensive report outlining strategies for an ageing society.
The report listed 73 measures spanning 11 areas, many of which were revealed in the policy address earlier this week.
“The rapid development of the ageing population has an immense impact on the economy and different areas of society, and both challenges and opportunities exist,” Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing said.
“The government must actively formulate strategies as early as possible based on population changes and make forward-looking plans.”
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced in last year’s policy address the formation of a working group on ageing society strategies, chaired by Cheuk and tasked with submitting a report on the blueprint this year.
The pilot scheme to introduce foreign domestic carers, announced in the policy address on Wednesday, is among measures to tackle manpower shortages exacerbated by the greying population.
Sun said the minimum wage for carers would be 10 to 20 per cent higher than that of current domestic helpers. The carers must also receive elderly care training recognised by Hong Kong and possess at least three years of experience looking after older people.

The current minimum wage for helpers is HK$5,100 (US$654) a month.
“People can choose,” Sun said. “If you only need a foreign helper, you can continue to recruit from the foreign helpers’ market.
“But if you need someone with greater ability and they are accredited to take care of elderly people, you can pay a bit more to hire a foreign domestic carer.”
The minister added that the initiative would provide reassurance to local families seeking workers with proven experience in caring for elderly people.
Hong Kong is struggling with a rapidly ageing population. The number of people aged 65 and older is projected to increase from about 1.8 million in 2025 to 2.74 million by 2046, at which point more than one in three residents will be elderly.
Sun expressed confidence that the scheme would not disrupt the market for foreign helpers.
“If existing helpers want to change their job and become foreign domestic carers, they would need to return to their home country, receive relevant training and meet other requirements before they can come to Hong Kong,” he said.
“We do not want the newly created job causing concern to current [employers] of foreign domestic helpers.”
A government source on Wednesday said that the scheme would be launched next year.
Alice Lau Yim, permanent secretary for labour and welfare, said the carers would be required to work in a domestic setting and live with their employers, similar to the current arrangement for helpers.
“The main target is to raise the quality of foreign domestic helpers who are now taking care of elderly people and offer one more option in the market to families in need,” she said.
Currently, about 380,000 foreign domestic helpers work in Hong Kong. More than half are from the Philippines, followed by Indonesia and other countries.
Johannie Tong Hiu-yan, a community relations officer with the Mission for Migrant Workers, said a 2018 survey by the NGO found 40 per cent of helpers were already looking after elderly with different degrees of disability.
Many were therefore puzzled when authorities announced the plan for dedicated carer positions, he said, adding none had yet indicated an interest in flying back home for the training.
Tong said unionists had been campaigning for a 10 to 20 per cent basic salary increase for helpers, taking into account the unique position they held in the Hong Kong market.
“If we were paying specialised carers this amount, it is not enough at all,” he said.
Betty Yung Ma Shan-yee, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Employers of Overseas Domestic Helpers Association, warned that the scheme could disrupt the market for domestic helpers.
She said the government had consulted employers’ groups beforehand but decided to press ahead despite opposition.
Yung noted many helpers had already undergone training before coming to Hong Kong and had been caring for elderly people for several years, making specialised carers unnecessary.
“Some dissatisfied helpers may just leave their jobs for better pay and higher status … and their flight back home [for the training] is covered by the employers,” she said.
She also highlighted the financial burden on employers, claiming that they already spent about HK$7,000 a month to cover the wages and living-in costs of helpers.


Foreign carers for elderly to get 10 to 20% more pay than current helpers

CUHK instructor triggers backlash over WeChat attendance registration policy

Why mainland Chinese despise the British – but Hongkongers don’t

Hongkongers pay tribute to late leader Tung Chee-hwa at community halls

Hong Kong society

The number of people aged 65 and older is projected to increase from about 1.8 million in 2025 to 2.74 million by 2046, at which point more than one in three residents will be elderly. Photo: Karma Lo

Alice Lau, permanent secretary for labour and welfare, says the carers would be required to work in a domestic setting and live with their employers, similar to the current arrangement for helpers. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Chief Executive John Lee announced in last year’s policy address the formation of a working group on ageing society strategies Photo: Karma Lo

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

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. Photo: Sam Tsang

Most of Hong Kong’s helpers are from the Philippines and Indonesia. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Hong Kong’s HK$500b silver economy by 2034 offers ‘blue ocean’ prospects: Paul Chan

Visitors attend a gerontechnology event at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai. Photo: Edward Wong

Finance chief Paul Chan (left) with former welfare secretary Law Chi-kwong. Photo: Dickson Lee

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun speaks at the association’s event. Photo: Dickson Lee

News

Hong Kong

Society

Carers must also have received elderly care training recognised by Hong Kong and possess at least three years of experience looking after older people


Carers must also have received elderly care training recognised by Hong Kong and possess at least three years of experience looking after older people.


Foreign carers for elderly to get 10 to 20% more pay than current helpers

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Carers must also have received elderly care training recognised by Hong Kong and possess at least three years of experience looking after older people

Carers must also have received elderly care training recognised by Hong Kong and possess at least three years of experience looking after older people