The SUN HK : Filipino DH population rises after 6-month slide

By Vir B. Lumicao

OFW numbers rose by more than 2,300 last month alone

After six months of a continuous decline, the number of Filipino domestic helpers in Hong Kong rose by 2,372 as of last month.

Statistics from the Immigration Department show that the Filipino DH population rose to 206,395 by the end of September, up 1.16% percent from 204,023 recorded in August.

An agency union head attributed the turnaround to workers recruited before the pandemic who finally arrived last month, and vacationing helpers who returned after being stranded by emergency measures in the Philippines.

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This was despite the stringent new measures imposed on new arrivals from the country, including the negative test result for Covid-19, and a14-day hotel booking for the mandatory quarantine.

“The [new] arrivals from Manila were those hired before February or even last year,” said Thomas Chan, chairman of the Hong Kong Union of Employment Agencies.

“Perhaps, those on vacation who tried to return to Hong Kong contributed to the increase in arrivals.”

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But despite the rebound, there were still 13,333 job losses since January, when the coronavirus outbreak began in Hong Kong.

The September data was a reversal of six months of slide that began in February, excluding March, and led to a 5,489 plunge in August due to lockdowns, cancelled flights and Hong Kong’s decision to restrict the entry of FDHs amid infection fears.

Some Hong Kong employers who could not wait for their helpers stranded in the Philippines due to lockdowns reportedly decided against hiring them and replaced them with those already here.

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Chan said most local employers preferred hiring workers who were already in the city to save them time and money. Immigration has helped push this thinking by allowing even terminated workers to move to new employers without leaving Hong Kong.

Severe lockdown measures in the Philippines also prevented many FDHs from traveling to Manila where all flights to Hong Kong originate.

Chan said his agency partners in Manila reported that transportation between the capital and the provinces had nearly halted, workers lacked money to travel to the city and go for medical checkups, and most agency staff had been cut down to half.

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Some of the agencies even had to close down because of lack of funds.

The rise in the number of FDHs was across the board, with Indonesian helpers, the second biggest group, also growing in number. Their population rose by 536 in September, to 157,873.

Foreign Domestic Helpers Population in Hong Kong
At end of Month/Year	Philippines	Indonesia	India	Other nationalities	Total -- all nationalities
Jan-20	219,728	170,898	4,838	4,657	400,121
Feb-20	217,654	171,291	4,857	4,619	398,421
Mar-20	218,002	170,318	4,818	4,594	397,732
Apr-20	215,061	167,747	4,723	4,493	392,024
May-20	212,855	165,377	4,664	4,446	387,342
Jun-20	211,426	164,528		9,052	385,006
Jul-20	209 512	161 762	4 522	4 379	380 175
Aug-20	204 023	157 337	4 360	4 245	369 965
Sep-20	206,395	157,873	4,353	4,248	372,869