“Domestic helper” is a collocation unique to Hong Kong. The more popular terms worldwide are “maid”, “housemaid”, “amah”, or even the politically incorrect “servant”.
To feel the full impact of the number of domestic helpers in Hong Kong, one only has to wander into the area around the colonial-style Legislative Council Building in the Central business district on a Sunday morning. The area takes on the atmosphere of a busy Manila marketplace. Thousands of Filipino and Indonesian men and women gather to chat, write letters, read, give and take hair cuts, hold Bible lessons, sing, nap, dance, and while away the time. Sunday is the day off for most domestic helpers, the “amahs” who take care of children, cook, do household chores, take children to school, take the dog for a walk, wash the car, and surreptitiously work in the shops or restaurants that their employers own.
By the latest estimates, Hong Kongers employ more than 240,000 domestic helpers, the vast majority of them from the Philippines. Others come from Indonesia, Thailand, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The legal minimum wage is HK$3,500 per month (about US$400), which compares favorably with the wages in Malaysia (US$100), Singapore (US$250), and the Middle East (less than US$200) for house maids. In addition to a minimum monthly wage, employers must also provide their domestic helpers with health insurance, a weekly day-off, and return air passage at the end of every two years. It is no secret that many domestic helpers agree to work for less than the minimum wage, while others earn more by working illegally at part-time jobs, often with the tacit understanding of their employers.
In Hong Kong, an employer with a monthly income of US$2,000 is eligible to apply for a visa to employ a domestic helper. This income is quite low by Hong Kong standards, where the rental on a tiny 300 square foot apartment could be as high as US$1,000 per month. As a result, having left their native lands to escape economic hardships, many domestic helpers face other problems in Hong Kong. Some are forced to sleep on cramped kitchen floors, while others have been known to live on tiny balconies in high rise apartments. However, the conditions in Hong Kong are not as deplorable as those in the Middle East, where female domestic helpers face physical and sexual abuse under conditions that resemble modern-day slavery.
However, the newspapers regularly publish accounts of domestic helpers who have been exploited or abused. A well known Canto-Pop singer was found to have hired and fired 30 domestic helpers within a 3-year period. Marites Sampilo, a Filipina, had her contract terminated because her work was "unsatisfactory". However, she claims that her employer was angry because she refused to bathe at night, the only time she was allowed to do so. She was fired and asked to leave at 11.45pm. The next morning, the check given by the employer bounced. Sampilo’s requests for severance pay and an air ticket home went unanswered.
Each year, the Hong Kong government decides if the minimum wage of domestic helpers should be raised. Earlier, when wages were frozen during the Asian economic crisis, the government claimed it was done on the basis of three factors: wages of local workers in comparable jobs, the current economic situation in Hong Kong, and the value of the domestic helpers wages in terms of their national currencies. Although some domestic helpers complained about the freeze at that time, others were more worried about losing their jobs than the wage freeze. More recently, the wage was reduced by HK$400, and amount to be paid as a tax by the employers.
Although few local Chinese would not like to work as full-time, live-in domestic helpers, many middle-aged female workers, who now work as cleaners at small restaurants and factories, would not mind working as domestic helpers on an hourly basis. (The current rate is about US$7 per hour.) However, they are not employed as domestic helpers because of their age.
To feel the full impact of the number of domestic helpers in Hong Kong, one only has to wander into the area around the colonial-style Legislative Council Building in the Central business district on a Sunday morning. The area takes on the atmosphere of a busy Manila marketplace. Thousands of Filipino and Indonesian men and women gather to chat, write letters, read, give and take hair cuts, hold Bible lessons, sing, nap, dance, and while away the time. Sunday is the day off for most domestic helpers, the “amahs” who take care of children, cook, do household chores, take children to school, take the dog for a walk, wash the car, and surreptitiously work in the shops or restaurants that their employers own.
By the latest estimates, Hong Kongers employ more than 240,000 domestic helpers, the vast majority of them from the Philippines. Others come from Indonesia, Thailand, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The legal minimum wage is HK$3,500 per month (about US$400), which compares favorably with the wages in Malaysia (US$100), Singapore (US$250), and the Middle East (less than US$200) for house maids. In addition to a minimum monthly wage, employers must also provide their domestic helpers with health insurance, a weekly day-off, and return air passage at the end of every two years. It is no secret that many domestic helpers agree to work for less than the minimum wage, while others earn more by working illegally at part-time jobs, often with the tacit understanding of their employers.
In Hong Kong, an employer with a monthly income of US$2,000 is eligible to apply for a visa to employ a domestic helper. This income is quite low by Hong Kong standards, where the rental on a tiny 300 square foot apartment could be as high as US$1,000 per month. As a result, having left their native lands to escape economic hardships, many domestic helpers face other problems in Hong Kong. Some are forced to sleep on cramped kitchen floors, while others have been known to live on tiny balconies in high rise apartments. However, the conditions in Hong Kong are not as deplorable as those in the Middle East, where female domestic helpers face physical and sexual abuse under conditions that resemble modern-day slavery.
However, the newspapers regularly publish accounts of domestic helpers who have been exploited or abused. A well known Canto-Pop singer was found to have hired and fired 30 domestic helpers within a 3-year period. Marites Sampilo, a Filipina, had her contract terminated because her work was "unsatisfactory". However, she claims that her employer was angry because she refused to bathe at night, the only time she was allowed to do so. She was fired and asked to leave at 11.45pm. The next morning, the check given by the employer bounced. Sampilo’s requests for severance pay and an air ticket home went unanswered.
Each year, the Hong Kong government decides if the minimum wage of domestic helpers should be raised. Earlier, when wages were frozen during the Asian economic crisis, the government claimed it was done on the basis of three factors: wages of local workers in comparable jobs, the current economic situation in Hong Kong, and the value of the domestic helpers wages in terms of their national currencies. Although some domestic helpers complained about the freeze at that time, others were more worried about losing their jobs than the wage freeze. More recently, the wage was reduced by HK$400, and amount to be paid as a tax by the employers.
Although few local Chinese would not like to work as full-time, live-in domestic helpers, many middle-aged female workers, who now work as cleaners at small restaurants and factories, would not mind working as domestic helpers on an hourly basis. (The current rate is about US$7 per hour.) However, they are not employed as domestic helpers because of their age.
At a personal level, I've employed three domestic helpers from Sri Lanka in the past 10 years. The first was Chandra, who worked for me for 7 years. Chandra was the daughter of Jane, who had taken care of me when I was an infant. Chandra herself had taken care of my son Roy in Sri Lanka. the next helper was Wasanthi, who akso had a link to my family, having worked for my mother in Sri Lanka. My current helper is Sewath, another Sri Lankan.
Most domestic helpers allow themselves to be exploited by employment agencies in their countries in order to come to Hong Kong. In Sri Lanka, agencies charge about Rupees 300,000 ($3000) for a job in Hong Kong. (Of course, my helpers didn't have to pay any fees.) Even after paying these hefty fees, what awaits many domestic helpers is a tiny room in a cramped apartment, spoilt, hyperactive children to take care of, and employers who may fire them at whim. Nevertheless, as long as Hong Kong remains relatively more prosperous than its neighbors, domestic helpers, with sunny smiles and in their snappy Sunday best, will remain a lively part of the local scene.
Most domestic helpers allow themselves to be exploited by employment agencies in their countries in order to come to Hong Kong. In Sri Lanka, agencies charge about Rupees 300,000 ($3000) for a job in Hong Kong. (Of course, my helpers didn't have to pay any fees.) Even after paying these hefty fees, what awaits many domestic helpers is a tiny room in a cramped apartment, spoilt, hyperactive children to take care of, and employers who may fire them at whim. Nevertheless, as long as Hong Kong remains relatively more prosperous than its neighbors, domestic helpers, with sunny smiles and in their snappy Sunday best, will remain a lively part of the local scene.
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