By Daisy CL Mandap
 |
More migrant workers have left than arrived in Hong Kong since the start of the pandemic |
The number of foreign domestic helpers in Hong
Kong has continued to drop for the past three months, despite a
slight rebound between April and June this year, after a three-month flight ban
on most sending countries was lifted.
Latest figures supplied by the Immigration Department showed
that the total number of FDHs as of the end of August this year was 333,516 – a
drop of 1,068 compared with the previous month, when the total number was at
334,584.
Year-on-year, or from August last year to August this year,
the drop has been a whopping 21,260.
The decline eased slightly in the past eight months of 2022,
but continued nevertheless, with 3,765 FDH jobs being lost during this period.
This was the result, not just of the notoriously strict
anti-coronavirus measures adopted by Hong Kong,
but also of a drop in demand, with tens of thousands of residents moving to
other countries amid the pandemic.
It remains to be seen if the numbers will go up again next month,
after Hong Kong lifted its mandatory hotel
quarantine for inbound travelers, which could entice residents to come back and
boost the market for FDHs.
But one other reason appears to be the stricter enforcement
by the Immigration Department of its 14-day policy towards FDHs, which mandates
that a migrant worker whose contract is prematurely terminated, should return
to his/her place of origin, unless in exceptional circumstances.
This practice, says Immigration, is to prevent FDHs from
“job-hopping”, or moving to other employers who give them better benefits and
less work.
It is a claim that many migrant support organizations have
steadfastly rejected, saying workers would not quit their jobs and risk being
sent home, unless pushed to their limit by their employers.
According to data supplied by Immigration, the number of
visa applications they have rejected in the first eight months of the year was
1,325. Between July and August alone, 162 applications were denied for this
reason.
For the entire 2021, when calls from pro-government
legislators for a stricter implementation of the 14-day rule were most
strident, a total of 2,833 such applications were rejected.
Responding to a query, an Immigration spokesperson said in
an email to The SUN that the decision to deny the applications was in line with
the prevailing policy requiring an FDH to leave Hong Kong
upon completion of employment contract or within two weeks from the date of
contract termination, whichever is the earlier.
“Save for the exceptional circumstances deemed reasonable by
the ImmD (including the premature termination of contract owing to the
transfer, migration, death or financial reasons of the original employer, or
where there is evidence that the FDH has been abused or exploited), an
application from a FDH for change of employer in Hong Kong within the two-year
contract period will normally not be approved,” said the spokesperson.
“If the FDH wishes to take up employment with a new
employer, he or she must return to his or her place of origin and apply for the
appropriate visa directly to the Director of Immigration either online, by post
or through the new employer.”
Unlike in the past months, when the biggest decline was recorded among
Filipinos, more Indonesians lost their jobs in the past month.
Between July and August this year, Indonesia lost 631 of its migrant workers,
compared with 537 from the Philippines.
The decline in numbers happened across all ethnic groups,
except among the Indians, who saw an additional 100 workers coming to work here
during the past month.
The figures supplied by Immigration are below:
Foreign Domestic Helper(FDH)
population from Aug 2021 to Aug 2022
As at
|
Philippines
|
Indonesia
|
India
|
Thailand
|
Others
|
Total
|
2021
|
8
|
31
|
198 625
|
147 971
|
4 113
|
1 930
|
2 137
|
354 776
|
2021
|
9
|
30
|
197 817
|
146 958
|
4 095
|
1 915
|
2 103
|
352 888
|
2021
|
10
|
31
|
197 412
|
145 957
|
4 028
|
1 894
|
2 117
|
351 408
|
2021
|
11
|
30
|
197 071
|
145 000
|
3 997
|
1 864
|
2 118
|
350 050
|
2021
|
12
|
31
|
191 783
|
140 057
|
3 836
|
1 775
|
2 000
|
339 451
|
2022
|
1
|
31
|
189 887
|
139 855
|
3 763
|
1 799
|
1 977
|
337 281
|
2022
|
2
|
28
|
187 002
|
137 788
|
3 665
|
1 787
|
1 942
|
332 184
|
2022
|
3
|
31
|
184 685
|
136 304
|
3 615
|
1 776
|
1 891
|
328 271
|
2022
|
4
|
30
|
186 666
|
137 268
|
3 888
|
1 771
|
1 936
|
331 529
|
2022
|
5
|
31
|
189 414
|
138 017
|
3 996
|
1 775
|
1 999
|
335 201
|
2022
|
6
|
30
|
189 652
|
138 713
|
3 974
|
1 764
|
2 003
|
336 106
|
2022
|
7
|
31
|
188 708
|
138 125
|
4 007
|
1 763
|
1 981
|
334 584
|
2022
|
8
|
31
|
188 171
|
137 494
|
4 117
|
1 757
|
1 977
|
333 516
|
Number of FDH visa applications refused due to suspected job hopping
|
2021
|
Jan to Aug 2022
|
Number of FDH visa applications
refused due to suspected job hopping
|
2 833
|
1 325
|