More foreign domestic workers brought in

EVERYBODY in Hong Kong knows that each Sunday, Filipino maids flock to Central to enjoy their weekend holiday. But do you know actually how many of them are working here? According to immigration records, there are 117,500 foreign domestic helpers working in Hong Kong, in other words, one for every 13 households. Among these workers, almost 90 per cent are from the Philippines.

Compared to end-1991, when there were only 84,600 foreign maids in Hong Kong, their number has increased by nearly 40 per cent in less than two years.

What has contributed to this rapid increase? As society becomes more affluent and more job opportunities are open to women, the chance of finding employment becomes greater for all women, including those with children.

Households need someone to look after the children left at home and to do the household work. There is thus a growing demand for domestic help. When the demand cannot be met by locally, the territory relies on external supply.

The Census and Statistics Department has been collecting information since 1987 on the characteristics of households which employ maids. The latest available statistics relate to 1991.

In the survey, all maids, cooks and baby-sitters employed by resident households are classified as domestic helpers, but gardeners and drivers are not.

Among the various types of working arrangement, the most popular one (which was adopted by 81 per cent of the households) was live-in, meaning that the domestic helper stayed overnight in their employer's home.