By Daisy CL Mandap
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| Many Filipino DHs have left for good because of HK's strict entry and contract processing rules |
Hong Kong is fast losing its sheen for foreign domestic helpers - a likely outcome of various factors, from Covid-related restrictions, the mass exodus of local residents, and the much-feared policy against job hopping.
Statistics from the
Immigration Department show that the number of FDHs in Hong Kong has continued
its downward trend since last year, despite the lifting of the travel ban on
the Philippines and Indonesia, the biggest sources of migrant workers in the city,
at the start of April.
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The decline
year-on-year, or between July 2021 and July this year, amounted to 12,717 for
Filipino DHs, or 6.3%, over the 12-month period.
In July 2021, the total
number of Filipino DHs was 201,425. The number fell progressively over the next
12 months, so that by the end of last month, it had gone down to just 188,708.
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Significantly, while the Hong Kong ban on incoming passenger flights from the Philippines was enforced between Jan 8 to Mar 31 this year, a huge drop in the total number of Filipino DHs was recorded, indicating thousands were taking the one-way trip home
From a total of 189,889 at end of January, the Filipino DH population shrank to just 184,685 by end of March, or a difference of 5,202.
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That would have meant
many Filipino DHs opting to go home for good, likely due to Covid fatigue or
worries about the massive, out-of-control surge in local infections.
But as expected, the lifting
of the flight ban led to a boost in FDH figures, albeit temporarily. By the end
of April the number was up 1,981, to 186,666. This went up further by a massive
4,729 in end-May, when the population swelled to 189,414.
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Since then, the number
started dipping again, dropping by 238 in June, and 944 in July. This left the current
overall figure at 188,708 – lower than that for January this year, and wiping
all the gains that were made in the first half of the year.
The figures were nearly
the same for Indonesians, who lost a total of 11,943 of their workers in the
past year, and 588 in the past month. (see data below).
Overall, the FDH
population across all ethnic groups also fell by more than 20,000 for the past
year. The total figure as of July 2022 is 334,584, compared with 354,776 for
the same month last year.
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A similar drop was recorded in the number of FDH whose visa applications were denied by Immigration on suspicion of job hopping, or those who supposedly switch employers on a whim.
Last year, a total of 2,833 visa applications were rejected for this reason, or an average of 236 a month, according to Immigration figures. Between January to July this year, the number was down to 1,163 or an average of 166.
More significantly, the
attrition rate for FDHs (6.3%) is much higher than that for residents who are
leaving Hong Kong. According to government statistics, a total of 133,000
residents left the city last year, for a 1.69% drop.
Not too long ago, many
overseas-bound Filipino workers would have gladly chosen Hong Kong as their
destination place, instead of far-off countries where the salary is lower and
the working conditions are much tougher.
But with the city
holding fast to its policy of requiring inbound travelers to undergo home
quarantine and upholding the two-week rule for most FDHs whose contracts get
terminated, it is likely that the downward trend will continue.
The pandemic, which
continues to keep the world in its grip, could cause additional problems.
Given a choice, however,
Filipino workers would still gladly come, quarantine and all, not least because
the exchange rate between the USD and the Philippine currency is now at a
15-year-high.
FOREIGN DOMESTIC HELPER POPULATION IN HONG KONG
