Foreign carers will be trained, assessed in their home country, says HK Iabour chief

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Sun says FDHs must go home and train first

Hong Kong Labour Minister Chris Sun has all but dashed hopes of currently employed foreign domestic helpers to move into better-paid posts as foreign domestic carers (FDCs) starting next year, without having to return to their home countries.

Speaking at a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Council on Wednesday, Labour Minister Chris Sun made it clear that FDHs working in Hong Kong will first be required to return to their place of origin to undergo a dedicated training course, before coming back to work again as FDCs with new employers.

Basahin ang detalye!

Sun made the statement in response to a question by legislator Elizabeth Quat on what steps have been taken by the government to ensure that the planned hiring of FDCs will not “deal a blow to the existing FDH market, given the higher salary that will be given to the carers.”

Sun checking out Phl’s training for caregivers in 2023

Earlier, Sun had announced that FDCs to be hired under a Pilot Scheme to be implemented starting middle of next year, will be paid 10 to 20 percent more than FDHs whose minimum salary is pegged at HK$5,200 a month.

Sun assured that the Government does not expect the Pilot Scheme to disrupt the existing FDH market, despite the disparity in salary.

The labour chief said that apart from requiring the FDCs to undergo training in their home country, they will also be assessed there by a local institution commissioned by the HK government based on a specified assessment framework, and obtain a passing result before they may come to Hong Kong for employment.

“Considering that FDCs will be required to possess a higher level of experience than ordinary FDHs, the minimum wage for FDCs will be set slightly higher than the MAW (minimum allowable wage) for FDHs," said Sun.

To further minimize the impact on the FDH market, the Pilot Scheme will be  implemented on a small scale initially, with only a few hundred FDCs being hired per year.

He assured that the public sentiment will be taken into consideration in working out the details for the scheme which will be set out by the middle of next year.

The Chief Executive announced the Pilot Scheme in his Policy Address this year, in response to Hong Kong's rapidly ageing population. 

From nearly 1.8 million (or one-fourth population), the number of HK residents aged 65 and above is expected to rise to 2.74 million in 2046, or a third of the population.