 |
| Nearly 2,000 more Filipino DHs lost their jobs because of the negative test and hotel quarantine requirements |
A total of 1,914 Filipino domestic helpers lost their jobs in
July as more employers appear to have been forced to hire those who were
already in Hong Kong to avoid the “heavy cost” of bringing in workers from the Philippines
But that’s just part of the continuing decline in the number
of Filipino DHs in Hong Kong . Immigration
Department figures show that since January this year when the coronavirus
outbreak in the city began, 10,216 Filipino helpers here have lost their jobs.
The downward trend has continued after Hong Kong imposed
strict travel restrictions starting Jul 25 for all new arrivals from seven
countries, including FDHs from both the Philippines
and Indonesia
From this date, those arriving from the so-called “high-risk
countries” are required to submit a negative test result for Covid-19, and a
confirmed hotel booking for their 14-day quarantine before being allowed to
board their flights to Hong Kong .
The test and hotel quarantine requirement apply to all
incoming helpers, both new hires and those returning from their vacation.
Many of the helpers who lost their jobs in Hong
Kong , on the other hand, said their employers gave financial
difficulties related to the coronavirus crisis as the reason for terminating
their contracts.
Immigration statistics show that the population of Filipino
domestic helpers in Hong Kong dropped to
209,512 in July from 211,426 in June, or a loss of nearly 2,000.
Indonesian helpers in the city suffered a deeper cut, with
their population down to 161,762, a loss of 2,766 from June. This could be
largely due to Indonesia ’s
ban on new deployments to Hong Kong as a
result of the pandemic.
The decline in the Filipinos’ numbers was the biggest since
the peak of the pandemic’s second wave in March, when the helper population
dropped by 2,941 as employers dismissed their maids and sought refuge abroad
from the creeping Covid-19.
Relocation and loss of job due to the economic downturn were
the main reasons thousands of employers decided to let go of their domestic
helpers then.
“Financial reason po ang inilagay sa termination letter,
kasi June pa po nawalan ng trabaho si amo,” said one helper who approached the
Overseas Workers Welfare Administration to register for a “repatriation” flight
to Manila
Another worker who had been with her employers for 22.5
years said her contract is not being renewed because her employer has not been rehired
since losing his job in February. The employer also asked to pay a reduced long
service fee to the helper because of the financial strain on his family.
Other employers simply told their helpers they needed to go
as they lost their jobs themselves, or had to take deep cuts in their salaries.
A Labour Department survey of the employment situation in
the first quarter this year showed the number of Hong Kong
people with jobs decreased 1.8% to 2.76 million in March from 2.82 million at
the end of December 2019.
That means 55,584 people lost their jobs from January to
March this year alone. Results of the second quarter survey have yet to be
released amid the work slowdown in government.
A number of workers said they either got sacked for
insisting on taking their day-off, or decided to leave their employers because
they had been prevented from leaving the house for as long as seven months.
But Thomas Chan, head of Hong Kong Union of Employment Agencies,
said members point to two major reasons for the sharp drop in FDH arrivals in Hong Kong in the past month.
 |
| The 72-hour limit to the swab test is causing a lot of problems for many departing FDHs in Manila |
He cited Hong Kong’s strict requirement of a negative result
of a swab test taken within 72 hours of a helper’s departure from either the Philippines or Indonesia
Most agencies find it difficult to meet the requirement due
to the tight time limit between the test and flight. While Hong Kong wants the
test taken within 72 hours of departure, government-accredited testing centers
in Manila
“The second reason is the heavy cost of the test (in Manila ) and the 14-day hotel quarantine in Hong Kong . It forces employers to rethink if they really
deserve to have a worker from overseas,” said Chan, who is also general manager
of Bright International Services Co.
He said the nucleic acid (swab) test and the hotel quarantine
cost employers on average $7,000-10,000. “Therefore, employers in my agency prefer
to hire those in Hong Kong and cancel those stranded overseas even if their visas
are ready,” Chan said.
Chan said Bright International’s partner agency in Manila didn’t deploy any workers to Hong
Kong since Jul 25.
“(To cite) one example, a worker was scheduled to have test
and we also reserved the flight. However, one day before the test, the airline
cancelled the flight. Then we needed to reschedule the test and the flight. So,
on and on,” Chan said.
“By shifting from overseas to locally available maids, employers
just add a few thousand dollars more for documentation and the worker is in
sight, no need to worry (over) the uncertain and long wait..”, he said.
The Hong Kong government
admits it has intentionally imposed the restrictions to limit the number of
FDHs arriving in the city, and allowing those whose contracts have expired to
remain if they have trouble exiting to their home countries.
Labour Secretary Law Chi-kwong said that before the
coronavirus outbreak, 580 FDHs on average arrived in the city each day. After
the policy shift, the number was reduced to about 100 arrivals per day.
But since the negative test result for Covid-19 was made a
precondition for them flying out to Hong Kong , the
number has dwindled to just about 30 daily.
Foreign Domestic Helpers Population in
|
|||||
As of end of Month/Year
|
Other nationalities
|
Total -- all
nationalities
|
|||
Jan-20
|
219,728
|
170,898
|
4,838
|
4,657
|
400,121
|
Feb-20
|
217,654
|
171,291
|
4,857
|
4,619
|
398,421
|
Mar-20
|
218,002
|
170,318
|
4,818
|
4,594
|
397,732
|
Apr-20
|
215,061
|
167,747
|
4,723
|
4,493
|
392,024
|
May-20
|
212,855
|
165,377
|
4,664
|
4,446
|
387,342
|
Jun-20
|
211,426
|
164,528
|
Inc
|
385,006
|
|
Jul-20
|
209 512
|
161 762
|
4 522
|
4 379
|
380 175
|
