First Cambodia, where next? Hong Kong ‘may open door’ to more foreign helpers
Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung says the domestic workers could be trained to care for growing elderly population
Hong Kong needs to consider bringing in domestic workers from more countries and train them in caring for the elderly to combat the challenges arising from an ageing population, the city’s No 2 official says.
Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung made the remarks in his blog on Sunday, the same day as helpers’ representatives called on the government to raise their monthly minimum wage from HK$4,310 to HK$5,500.
Cheung said there were 40,000 households in Hong Kong where domestic workers were the only ones living with and taking care of the elderly. By 2041, one in three city residents will be aged 65 or above, implying a huge demand for elderly care services.
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“In the long run, should we speed up studies on expanding the sources and numbers of domestic workers from regions that have similar cultures with Hong Kong? Should home nursing training for foreign domestic workers be beefed up?” wrote Cheung, formerly the labour and welfare minister.
There are currently around 320,000 foreign domestic helpers in the city, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia, and a small number from Thailand.