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| Are employers leaving HK in droves and terminating their helpers? Not so, according to data from Immigration |
Bucking fears and forecasts, the number of foreign domestic
helpers in Hong Kong has continued to rise,
even during the most turbulent months of the anti-government protests.
Latest figures from the Immigration Department show that the
demand for FDHs has kept its steady ascent, with the total figure by the end of
October reaching 399,505. This is more than 14,000 higher than for the same
month last year.
A negligible dip of 243 was recorded at the start of the
pro-democracy protests between May and June this year, but this was quickly
corrected when the number soared by 1,525 at the end of July, when the protests
were at their most raucous.
The next month, August, which saw protesters storming Prince
Edward MTR station, registered an even higher month-on-month increase of 1,604.
At the end of September and October when the violence from
the clashes between protesters and police intensified even more, the monthly
spike hovered at around 1,500.
The numbers also show that Filipinos continue to dominate
the domestic workers community, with a total population of 219,496 by end of
October. Indonesians numbered 170,579 while Indians and all other nationalities
had a total ally of just about 4,000 each group
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The official figures come as a surprise to those who trawl
OFW social media sites, as these are replete with comments from Filipino
migrant workers who claim that they have lost their jobs because of the
protests.
Many employment agency operators have also been reporting of
Filipino applicants changing their minds about working in Hong
Kong , or of having their recruits’ contracts terminated by
employers who decided to move elsewhere to avoid the chaos.
A growing number of FDWs say they have been left on their
own as their employers chose to go elsewhere to live, or of being told to take
an early vacation while the employers assess whether they should return, or
stay away for good.
It now turns out all such reports, if true, have hardly dented
the demand for FDWs in Hong Kong .
This is something that the Consulate has been at pains to
say amid the din caused by calls to either slow down the processing of work
contracts to Hong Kong , or to ban Filipino
workers from coming here altogether.
The Consulate has consistently said that the number of
contracts being submitted to them for processing has remained steady, and
terminations have not occurred at a higher rate than before.
Thus, said Consul General Raly Tejada in a recent TV interview,
there is no need to stop Filipino workers from coming to Hong
Kong .
“I will dissuade people from encouraging this idea of
banning workers from coming to Hong Kong ,” he
said. “There are jobs here in Hong Kong , and
the employees are quite satisfied with their work and employers are still
taking in Filipinos…so there is no reason for us to implement a ban.”
As at the end of Month/Year
|
Philippines
|
Indonesia
|
India
|
Other nationalities
|
Total number for all nationalities
|
Jun 2018
|
206,917
|
162,257
|
4,337
|
4,804
|
378,315
|
Jul 2018
|
207,075
|
163,405
|
4,352
|
4,779
|
379,611
|
Aug 2018
|
208,820
|
163,370
|
4,433
|
4,770
|
381,393
|
Sep 2018
|
210,315
|
164,291
|
4,456
|
4,799
|
383,861
|
Oct 2018
|
210,773
|
165,077
|
4,483
|
4,808
|
385,141
|
Nov 2018
|
211,361
|
165,655
|
4,515
|
4,793
|
386,324
|
Dec 2018
|
210,897
|
165,907
|
4,502
|
4,769
|
386,075
|
Jan 2019
|
213,110
|
167,480
|
4,515
|
4,766
|
389,871
|
Feb 2019
|
214,018
|
167,623
|
4,570
|
4,758
|
390,969
|
Mar 2019
|
214,211
|
168,060
|
4,557
|
4,758
|
391,586
|
Apr 2019
|
214,358
|
168,377
|
4,564
|
4,737
|
392,036
|
May 2019
|
215,586
|
168,644
|
4,625
|
4,732
|
393,587
|
Jun 2019
|
216,052
|
167,937
|
4,621
|
4,734
|
393,344
|
Jul 2019
|
216,375
|
169,134
|
4,652
|
4,708
|
394,869
|
Aug 2019
|
217,961
|
169,079
|
4,709
|
4,724
|
396,473
|
Sep 2019
|
218,883
|
169,775
|
4,722
|
4,727
|
398,107
|
Oct 2019
|
219,496
|
170,579
|
4,737
|
4,693
|
399,505
|
up.
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