Migrant worker groups call on Hong Kong to increase minimum wage for domestic helpers by 27 per cent, amid high living costs and inflation

Hong Kong must respect its domestic helpers

The government approved a 2.2 increase to the minimum wage for domestic helpers in September last year, increasing the monthly amount from HK$4,630.

Both groups also urged authorities to increase a food allowance, with the body asking to almost triple the amount to HK$3,065 per month from HK$1,196, and the union pushing for HK$2,552. The allowance is given to those who are not provided with food by their employers.

The body said it was “optimistic” the demands could be met, despite earlier calls failing.

Balladares, who was commenting after meeting the Labour Department, said the figures were “reasonable and justified” as inflation had increased and the city remained one of the most expensive in the world.

The HK$100 increase to the domestic helper minimum wage last year was an “insult” especially given the hardships they experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic, the federation said. The jump of at least HK$1,270 per month, requested by the two groups, would push wages up by about 27 per cent.

Authorities froze the wages for domestic helpers for two consecutive years, 2020 and 2021, amid the pandemic. The last time salaries were frozen for two consecutive years was in 2009 and 2010, during the aftermath of the global financial crisis.

Recognise foreign domestic workers’ impact on Hong Kong families and wider society

Balladares said the government had made “no clear statement” on whether a pay rise was being considered for its annual review. The department said it would need to conduct another round of consultation with employers, and study relevant economic indicators.

The calls come amid discussions in the city over increased recruitment fees for domestic helpers from Indonesia.

Under an updated policy, which Jakarta revised in 2020 and again last year, employers are required to shoulder the full recruitment cost of up to HK$20,000 – several thousand dollars more than the present charge of HK$7,000 to HK$13,000, according to agencies and helpers’ unions in Hong Kong.

Workers, who previously had to pay a placement fee to agencies, only need to cover training costs under the system.

Indonesia last week announced that it would enforce the policy in full, after many Hong Kong agencies and employers were said to be unaware of the changes.

Sringatin, another spokeswoman for the body, said the group supported the policy but she believed that Indonesia or Hong Kong should provide standardised training, either with or without a fee.

Both governments should both meet to resolve any issues, and create clear and transparent guidelines for the fees to prevent arguments between domestic workers and their employers, she said.

Hong Kong Union of Employment Agencies chairman Thomas Chan Tung-fung said the requested wage was too high and a smaller increase would be more feasible.

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“If the current wage is about HK$4,700 and you want to increase it to about HK$6,000, this means an increase of about HK$1,300. From the view of the government and the employer, this is not very practical,” he said. “If you were to ask for an increase of HK$100 to HK$200, to about HK$4,900 to HK$5,000, I would think this is more acceptable and more practical.”

Chan estimated that about 60 per cent of the foreign domestic helpers in the city were paid the minimum wage of HK$4,730 per month, with the rest receiving more than HK$5,000. Those paid the smaller amount were usually workers who had just arrived in the city, he said.

Data from the Immigration Department showed there were 338,000 foreign domestic helpers in the city in 2022.