Myanmar may be next source of domestic helpers to Hong Kong
After Bangladeshis, Myanmese domestic workers are a possible choice for local families as job agency works to secure an import licence
Myanmese maids may become a new addition to Hong Kong households, with a major domestic helper agency intending to apply for a licence from Myanmar to import its workers.
Technic Employment Service Centre revealed its plans after a source familiar with the matter said the consulate of Myanmar in the city had told local agencies that the licence was available for application.
"We have negotiated with Myanmese officials on the matter for several years, but have never filed an official application for an [import] licence," Teresa Liu Tsui-lan, managing director of the centre, said.
"We shall visit the country next month and hope to make a deal [with the government]."
If successful, the centre hoped to start up a training institute in Myanmar to prepare aspiring helpers for their work with Hong Kong families, Liu said.
In May, Hong Kong accepted its first official batch of Bangladeshi domestic helpers, comprising 11 women, after years of employing mainly Filipinos and Indonesians.