Online blacklist of rogue Hong Kong job agencies to help domestic workers

The Labour Department intends to begin publishing blacklists of rogue employment agencies online to help Hong Kong jobseekers, especially domestic helpers, stay clear of unscrupulous operators such as those charging exorbitant fees.

The lists, to be updated monthly, will name agencies that fall into three categories: those convicted of overcharging or having unlicensed operations; those whose licences were revoked or not renewed; and those who received written warnings for poor conduct, such as withholding passports of workers and failing to draw up agreements with them.

In a consultation paper issued on Friday, the department acknowledged there had been “long-standing requests” for easier access to the track records of employment agencies, especially from domestic helpers and their employers.

Previously they would need to search notices or press releases on the department’s Employment Agencies Administration website to learn about convictions or licence revocations, with no comprehensive, at-a-glance blacklist available.

Information on written warnings was not available as this relates to a new voluntary code of conduct for the industry that started in January last year. It outlines the statutory requirements and “minimum standards” that employment agencies must follow, including keeping recruitment fees below 10 per cent of a jobseeker’s first month’s wages.