Paying more for domestic helpers: Hong Kong’s supply of such workers shrinks, forcing desperate employers into ‘bidding war’

Flight bans hit helper arrivals from Philippines and Indonesia, 21-day quarantine adds to costs

Agents complain of difficulty making bookings at two designated quarantine facilities for helpers

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Domestic helpers arriving in Hong Kong are taken to their quarantine facility. Photo: Winson Wong

Published: 11:00am, 25 Sep 2021Updated: 11:59pm, 25 Sep 2021

The severe shortage of foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong has sparked a bidding war, with desperate employers offering to pay well above the minimum wage to secure a helper, recruitment agents say.

There are six potential employers for every domestic worker in Hong Kong and some are offering as much as HK$5,500 (US$706) to HK$6,500 a month without success, according to Anliza Hung, an agent at Well Harmony Employment Services.

The supply dried up after city authorities suspended flights from the Philippines in April and Indonesia in June, as Covid-19 infections surged in the two Southeast Asian countries which send the most helpers to Hong Kong.

Domestic helpers are able to enter Hong Kong again but agents have complained about the difficulty of booking quarantine accommodation. Photo: Dickson Lee

Although domestic helpers have been able to enter Hong Kong again since the authorities began recognising vaccination documents from the Philippines and Indonesia on August 30, agents have complained that it is almost impossible to book limited quarantine accommodation.

The number of domestic workers fell to 370,000 last year compared with nearly 400,000 in 2019, and Hong Kong families are anxious for help caring for children and the elderly.

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