By Daisy CL Mandap
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| FDH figures increased only slightly after pandemic rules were eased (File) |
Despite the easing of pandemic restrictions, the
number of foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong was down slightly at the end of
last year compared with 2021.
Figures supplied by the Immigration Department show
that there were a total of 338,189 FDHs in Hong Kong at the end of December
2022.
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The figure was about 1,300 less than in December 2021, when a total number of 339,451 was recorded.
The drop was reflected in the breakdown of figures
according to ethnicity. The total number of Filipino DHs was down to 190,059
from 191,783 the previous year, while that for Indonesians fell to 139,961 from
140,057.
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Likely as a result in the decline in the FDH
population, the number of visas rejected due to suspected “job-hopping” - or
changing employers on a whim – also fell.
The visa rejections fell to 1,760 at the end of 2022
from the previous year’s 2,833.
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The drastic drop could also be due to the realization
that Immigration is back to enforcing strictly the so-called 14-day rule, which
mandates that all terminated FDHs must return to their home countries within 14
days after termination, unless it was due to an exceptional reason like
relocation.
The relaxation of pandemic rules, especially the
removal of quarantine for all inbound travelers starting on September 26 last
year and the dropping of the pre-boarding PCR test on December 30, did result
in an increase in monthly FDH figures, but only slightly.
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From a total number of 335,072 in September 2022, the
end-of-year figure was up by just over 3,000.
The decline in numbers also reflect a drop in Hong
Kong’s overall population. According to government figures supplied in mid-2022,
a total of 121,500 residents had left the city compared with the previous year,
or a drop of 1.6% from 7,413,100.
Here are the latest figures from the Hong Kong Immigration Department
| Foreign Domestic Helper(FDH) population in 2021 and 2022 | ||||||||
As at | Philippines | Indonesia | India | Thailand | Others | Total | ||
2021 | 12 | 31 | 191 783 | 140 057 | 3 836 | 1 775 | 2 000 | 339 451 |
2022 | 12 | 31 | 190 059 | 139 961 | 4 335 | 1 758 | 2 076 | 338 189 |
Number of FDH visa applications refused due to suspected job hopping
2021 | 2022 | |
| Number of FDH visa applications refused due to suspected job hopping | 2 833 | 1 760 |
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