Every year, HelperChoice, Hong Kong’s leading ethical recruitment platform connecting foreign domestic workers and employers, analyses job postings published on its platform to uncover the latest salary trends, employment conditions, and hiring behaviours across the city.
This year’s report is based on 1,549 job ads posted between August 2024 and August 2025, offering crucial insights into how salaries, benefits, and living arrangements are evolving for foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong.
The survey is conducted ahead of the Hong Kong Labour Department’s announcement regarding the new Minimum Allowable Wage (MAW) and food allowance for 2026. As a reference, the MAW for 2025 is set at HK$4,870 with a food allowance of HK$1,236. Last year (2024), wages saw a 2.5% increase, raising the MAW to HK$4,990 per month, while the food allowance remained unchanged at HK$1,236.
According to HelperChoice data, the average monthly salary offered to foreign domestic workers in 2025 has reached HK$5,722, representing a 7.9% increase compared to 2024. This continued upward trend reflects employers’ growing willingness to offer competitive salaries to attract experienced domestic workers, particularly those already based in Hong Kong, whose paperwork processing is faster and who can often extend their contracts without returning home.
Raymund Sze, General Manager of HelperChoice, commented:
“In 2025, we’re seeing a noticeable shift in what families value most. Employers are no longer just hiring based on cost, they’re willing to offer higher salaries for helpers with prior Hong Kong experience, childcare or elderly care expertise. Convenience and reliability have become top priorities, especially in dual-income households where domestic workers play an essential role in day-to-day family life. Employers are typically willing to increase the salary when renewing the contract with a reliable domestic helper.
HelperChoice’s data shows that while salary levels still vary across Hong Kong’s districts, the gap between the highest and lowest paying areas is narrowing, with the New Territories offering the highest average monthly salary at HK$5,886, followed by Hong Kong Island at HK$5,807, and Kowloon remaining the most budget-friendly at HK$5,158, and even at the lowest end, salaries rarely fall below HK$4,990, reflecting the impact of the MAW adjustment and a more competitive, standardised market.
Under Hong Kong law, foreign domestic workers must live with their employers, and HelperChoice’s 2025 survey shows this remains the norm, with 73.7% of employers offering a private room, 12.9% providing a shared room with a child, 8.3% offering a shared space with another domestic worker, and 5.1% accommodating helpers with another adult family member, such as an elderly relative, indicating a growing trend toward more private living arrangements.
This data reflects a growing recognition among employers that better living conditions help attract and retain skilled domestic workers, a key factor in today’s competitive hiring landscape.
To provide a visual summary of key findings, we’ve included an infographic
Press Contact:
Raymond Sze, General Manager – raymond@helperchoice.com
About HelperChoice
Founded in 2012, HelperChoice is a Hong Kong-based platform dedicated to ethical recruitment and transparency in domestic employment. By connecting families directly with foreign domestic workers, HelperChoice removes placement fees and prevents exploitation. Since its acquisition by Yoopies in 2019, HelperChoice has been part of the largest domestic employment network outside the United States.
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