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Terminated DH gets work as receptionist under HK’s ESLS program

27 October 2024

 

Robelyn is living her dream, transitioning from domestic worker to receptionist in HK

Dreams do come true.

This is the message that Robelyn Molina Javar wants to relay to foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong, especially those hoping to take on other jobs that would elevate their status, without having to leave the city.

Robelyn knows this only too well, as she used to work in Hong Kong as a domestic helper up until August this year, when she was granted a visa to work as a receptionist under the new Expanded Supplementary Labor Scheme  (ESLS) of the government.

Call it luck or perseverance, but 29-year-old Robelyn was already on the verge of calling it quits in Hong Kong for the second time after being terminated from her job, when she was offered the post of  Filipina receptionist.

Robelyn said she was taken aback by the offer, as it felt too good to be true. She has aunts who have worked in Hong Kong for a long time, and they never came close to having the opportunity to work in an office set-up, and for a much bigger pay.

I-CLICK DITO

In line with Immigration requirements, she was offered a salary of $14,500 a month, with overtime pay and free accommodation. She was also guaranteed extra pay for overtime work. What was even better was she did not have to pay anything to secure the job.

From being a domestic helper sabi ko imposible na magkaroon ng ganito. Feeling ko noon mataas ang ang expectations nila sa work na ibibigay ko sa kanila,” said Robelyn.

(Being a domestic helper I thought it would be impossible for me to get that kind of an offer. I felt that there would be high expectation of the kind or work that I could deliver).

PINDUTIN DITO

Despite getting up to third year of a hotel and restaurant management degree from Panpacific University in Urdaneta, Pangasinan, Robelyn, who is a mother of two, also felt unsure about her qualifications for the job.

Wala po ako talagang masyadong college credential kaya di po ako nag expect na ma approve noon ang visa ko para sa ganitong trabaho.”

(I did not have enough college credentials so I did not expect that my visa application for this job would be approved).

To the surprise of both Robelyn and her employer, Immigration’s approval for her ESLS application came less than two weeks after she submitted the required documents.

“God is really amazing,” Robelyn is wont to say.

Basahin ang detalye!

Labour Department figures show Robelyn is among nearly 29,000 foreign passport holders who have been granted a temporary two-year visa under the ESLS which was formally launched only in September last year.

According to figures furnished to the Legislative Council by Labour Secretary Chris Sun last Thursday, among those granted visas under the scheme as of September this year, 667 were receptionists.

The biggest number were waiters/waitresses, cooks and junior cooks, security guards and sales assistants, reflecting the severe manpower shortages in these fields.

But it would appear that Filipinos accounted for only a tiny fraction of the total ESLS approvals so far. According to Assistant Labour Attache Angelica Sunga at the Philippines’Migrant Workers Office, only 39 Filipinos had been granted work visas through the ESLS as of August this year.

This is what prompts Robelyn to keep encouraging her fellow Filipinos, especially those on foreign domestic helper visas, to aim higher, and look for jobs that will give them better pay and work conditions.

Maraming mga Pinoy ang deserve ang mas magandang trabaho,” she said. “At Glory to God talaga na merong ganitong program ang Hong Kong para sa mga hindi naman nakatapos at hindi hinihingan ng maraming requirements,” she said.

(There are a lot of Filipinos who deserve a better job. It’s to God’s Glory that Hong Kong has this program for those who did not finish their studies, and are not asked for too many requirements).

But Robelyn is quick to admit that a lot will also depend on luck. She thus advises those on DH visas to start looking around for companies that might need workers with their qualifications and experience, or employment agencies that can connect them with such employers.

It is never too late to aspire for something better, according to her. And now seems to be the time to start doing something about that dream.

The ESLS was formally unveiled by the government in September last year to enhance or expand the coverage and operation of the previous Supplementary Labour Scheme (SLS), to include unskilled or low-skilled posts.

This was apart from previous efforts to address the severe manpower shortage in Hong Kong, including the launch of sector-specified labour importation schemes for such sectors as construction, transport, and residential care homes.

Under both programs, foreign workers are offered two-year contracts with salaries commensurate to those paid local employees, as well as free accommodation.

However, they do not qualify for permanent residency which requires seven years of continuous residency in Hong Kong.

(See related story here: https://www.sunwebhk.com/2024/10/waiters-cooks-cleaners-among-imported.html)

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