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Out of her HK$5,200 monthly salary, Melissa, a 33-year-old domestic helper in Hong Kong, provides financial support to several family members in the Philippines, including her 13-year-old son. Despite earning above the minimum wage for domestic helpers, which stands at HK$4,730, Melissa believes her income should be sufficient to support her son and secure his future. However, she also financially supports her siblings and father back in the Philippines, making her financial situation challenging.
Hong Kong heavily relies on its 350,000 foreign domestic helpers, predominantly women from the Philippines and Indonesia, to keep the city functioning. These helpers perform a range of tasks, including childcare, elderly care, dog walking, cooking, and cleaning, often for minimal pay. As travel restrictions caused by the pandemic ease and domestic helpers regain access to their families, many argue that an increase in wages is long overdue.
The Hong Kong Federation of Asian Domestic Workers stated last month that the Hong Kong government has been dependent on migrant domestic workers to support the city’s population. The Federation criticized the long hours and low wages that these workers endure, emphasizing the stark difference between the 6.7% increase in minimum wage for regular Hong Kong citizens and the mere 2.2% increase in domestic helpers’ wages. The Federation calls for a wage hike of nearly one-third to $6,228. The Labour department claims to review the wages of helpers regularly and exempts live-in staff from regular minimum wage regulations.
“Helpers play an invaluable role in Hong Kong and are crucial to our day-to-day lives,” says Manisha Wijesinghe, executive director of Help for Domestic Workers, a charitable organization. In addition to their salary, helpers are entitled to a food allowance if meals are not provided, accommodation with their employers, flights to Hong Kong from their home country, and healthcare.
The demands placed on helpers who support their families back home can be overwhelming, especially during the pandemic. Katrina Eeyan Villamarin, assistant program manager at Enrich, a charity that offers financial training for helpers, highlights the burden of debt that many helpers face when moving abroad to work. Even if the employer covers the flight expenses, helpers often have to pay agency fees, estimated to be around HK$15,000.
Aside from the financial hardships, migrant workers also experience heavy emotional burdens. Many leave their children at a very young age and spend ten to fifteen years working in Hong Kong. Wijesinghe explains that there is a tremendous sense of guilt associated with leaving their families behind, and their relationships with their family members can become strained due to misconceptions about their lives in Hong Kong.
The employment and visa status of these workers are tied to their employers, making the nature of their relationship crucial. While many helpers have positive experiences and build fulfilling lives in Hong Kong, problems with their employers can arise abruptly, sometimes leading to strained working relationships. Charitable organizations report that many workers experienced poor mental health during the pandemic, exacerbated by the pressure to send additional funds home as their relatives lost jobs in other parts of the world.
When they have their day off on Sunday, helpers often gather in green spaces like Victoria Park near Causeway Bay. They share meals and occasionally sing karaoke, enjoying a rare moment of freedom in the place they also call home.
Jane, a 39-year-old from the Philippines, saved 60,000 pesos from her job as a teacher to relocate to Hong Kong six years ago. The biggest challenge she faced was adapting to a new culture and living with a family she didn’t know. She requested a few minutes outside the house to regain her freedom after work, which her employers allowed. Currently, Jane is financially supporting her 18-year-old daughter’s college education in the Philippines. When asked if she would allow her daughter to become a helper, Jane’s response is negative. Despite recognizing that being a helper can be a way to live abroad and earn money, she believes there are alternative ways to make a living in a world driven by technology.
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