Foreign domestic workers hired under a planned government elderly caregiving scheme should be paid more and allowed to complete training in Hong Kong rather than in their home countries, migrant worker activists have urged.

Migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

The government announced during last month’s Policy Address that it would launch a “foreign domestic carers” scheme to recruit workers to care for the city’s growing elderly population. The first carers are expected to start in the second half of 2027.

The scheme will be modelled after the system for foreign domestic workers, of which there are around 380,000 in Hong Kong, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia.

Foreign domestic carers’ minimum monthly wage will be around 10 to 20 per cent higher than for domestic workers, which is currently HK$5,220.

Carers must complete at least 150 hours of training in their home countries to qualify as a foreign domestic carer. The government said it would work with its partners to supervise the training programme.

In a Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said the new scheme would not affect the current domestic worker system. He added that carers are not promised a job upon completion of the course.

Hong Kong Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

“It’s not guaranteed they can become foreign domestic carers because we only plan to have a few hundred a year,” he said in Cantonese. “It’s possible they take the test but no employer hires them.”

During the meeting, Sun said authorities were not considering introducing a probation period for hired carers, after lawmaker Elaine Chik suggested that employers would benefit from a mechanism that would allow them to terminate their workers if they did not believe they were up to standard.

He rebuffed her suggestion, saying such a mechanism means a domestic worker would also be able to cut the contract.

“A probation period goes both ways,” Sun said.

Quality concerns, scams

Sringathin, a domestic worker who is the spokesperson of the Asian Migrants’ Coordinating Body, said a 10 to 20 per cent increase from the current minimum monthly salary of domestic workers was insufficient.

A 20 per cent increase would mean a minimum monthly salary of around HK$6,200.

Elderly in Hong Kong. File photo: GovHK.

Domestic carers will still be expected to perform household duties, according to Sun.

Speaking to HKFP, Sringathin said a 10 to 20 per cent increase was “not much” compared to local carers who might earn above HK$10,000 a month.

“It’s also not clear what the requirements are in terms of rest hours, rest days, and their accommodation. Must they all live in?” she said.

Sringathin also said there were concerns about the quality of the overseas training course carers must complete. If courses were done in Hong Kong, there could be more supervision from the government.

Requiring the training to be done overseas could also open the door for scammers, she added.

“Scammers could advertise fake training centres,” she said.

‘Best done in Hong Kong’

The Hong Kong Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions (FADWU), a trade union representing migrant domestic workers, also expressed concerns about requiring workers to return to their home countries for training.

“Training would be best done in Hong Kong, where there are experienced trainers and existing training modules,” said Fish Ip, the founding organiser of FADWU.

The Hong Kong Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions urges the government to increase the minimum monthly salary of domestic workers. Photo: FADWU.

Many NGOs already work with elderly care homes to offer training to carers, she said, citing the St. James’ Settlement as an example.

She said it seemed like the carers would have to pay for the training courses themselves, and fees could be exorbitant without local authorities’ oversight.

“They could wind up in debt in Hong Kong before they even start work,” Ip said.

Both Sringathin and Ip also questioned whether it was fair to require all workers to fly back to their home countries for training in order to qualify under the new scheme, if they are already knowledgeable and experienced in taking care of the elderly.

Sringathin said she knew many domestic workers who have been caring for their elderly employers for years. Some of their employers needed round-the-clock care as they have dementia, are paralysed or have other special needs.

Ip suggested the government could waive the requirement for workers who are already qualified by offering a test.

“Otherwise, someone with no on-the-job experience but who has completed the training could be earning more than a worker with 30 years of experience, but who did not return home to take the course,” she said.