HK$110 Increase In Maids' Wages Deemed 'insulting'

"); jQuery("#212 h3").html("

Related News Programmes

"); });

2019-09-27 HKT 22:20

Share this story

facebook

  • The government says the HK$110 monthly wage increase balances affordability for employers with the interests of foreign domestic workers. File photo: RTHK

    The government says the HK$110 monthly wage increase balances affordability for employers with the interests of foreign domestic workers. File photo: RTHK

The minimum wage for foreign domestic workers will rise by 2.4 percent, or HK$110 to HK$4,630 a month, the government announced on Friday.

The new wage levels will apply to all helpers who sign contracts on or after Saturday.

Food allowances for workers who are not provided with food will rise by HK$46 to at least HK$1,121 a month.

A Government spokesman said officials arrived at the new figures after a regular review, taking into careful consideration Hong Kong's general economic and labour market conditions over the past year.

He added that the government has also taken into account the city’s near-term economic outlook, and balanced the affordability of hiring maids for employers, with the interests of the foreign helpers.

But an advocacy group has slammed the 2.4 percent increase as an ‘insult.’

A spokeswoman for the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body, Eni Lestari, said the pay rise is “degrading and also demeaning to the real contribution of the 380,000 foreign domestic workers to the Hong Kong economy and society.”

She said monthly salaries for foreign domestic helpers should rise to at least HK$5,894 per month to accurately account for inflation over the years.

RECENT NEWS

South Korea Unveils Digital Asset Basic Act For Stablecoin Issuance

South Korea’s newly elected President Lee Jae-myung is pushing forward with plans to allow stablecoin issuance by loc... Read more

Octopus Taps Wonder As Its Omnichannel Payment Partner Across Hong Kong

Wonder, a payment and fintech platform, has announced its partnership as the purported first omnichannel payment facili... Read more

China And UAE Ink Deal To Boost Cross-Border Payment Cooperation

China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) and the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) have si... Read more

Hong Kong Approves Banking Amendment To Boost Data Sharing In 2025

The Government welcomed the Legislative Council’s June 4 passage of the Banking (Amendment) Bill 2025, aimed at impro... Read more

Citigroup Lays Off 3,500 In China As Part Of Global Overhaul

Citigroup is cutting 3,500 tech jobs in mainland China to streamline operations and cut costs. The Citigroup China layo... Read more

Hong Kong Expands Crypto Market With Derivative Trading For Investors

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) will soon introduce virtual asset derivatives trading for profess... Read more