For the sixth consecutive year, HelperChoice has analysed 5,195 job ads posted on its platform between August 2021 and August 2022, to determine in which districts foreign domestic workers can expect to earn the most and the least.
This study was carried out in the light of the government’s announcement regarding the foreign domestic workers minimum allowable wage re-evaluation at the end of September. The Minimum Allowable Wage was set to HK$4,630 in 2019 and had been frozen ever until this year, it is now increased to HK$4,730.
An upward trend of average salary reaching HK$5,287
This year, HelperChoice’s annual salary survey in Hong Kong shows an increase in the average salary offered by employers, reaching HK$5,287.
According to HelperChoice data, this year, foreign domestic workers have been earning HK$5,287 on average, about a 2.78% increase compared to the previous study in 2021.
Strict Covid-19 Quarantine Measures On Inbound Overseas Arrivals Creating A More Competitive Helper Market
The pandemic restriction and mandatory hotel quarantine have led to a higher cost of hiring an overseas worker. Many families would rather pay higher salaries to hire helpers already in Hong Kong.
The range of highest and lowest average salaries narrows while Central & Western district is no longer highest paid
Regarding the districts, HelperChoice discovers a narrower range in the domestic helpers’ salaries as compared to previous years, according to their employment location. Normally, families living in areas considered as more wealthy, for example, Central & Western districts, traditionally offered higher salaries. However, due to limited supply of helpers, families living in other districts are now paying an equal range.
In 2022, the top five Hong Kong districts with the highest wages are: Eastern, Yau Tsim Mong, Tai Po, Tsuen Wan and Sha Tin. For the first time, Yau Tsim Mong. Foreign domestic workers in these districts might expect an average salary of HK$5,422, with several employers offering between HK$10,000 to HK$20,000 per month. For the first time, Central and Western, Wanchai and Southern districts are not among the top 5 districts. It is also surprising that HelperChoice recorded reductions in average salaries in Central and Western (-4.89%), Wanchai (-3.39%) and Southern (-3.02%) while there is a 11.53% jump in average salaries in the Eastern district.
On the other hand, the five districts offering the lowest salaries this year are: Wanchai, Yuen Long, North, Wong Tai Sin and Tuen Mun. Employers in these areas offer an average salary of HK$5,104, which is only HK$318 difference with the average salary of the highest districts, indicating that the overall average salaries are getting more centralised among 18 districts.
In August, HelperChoice also conducted an opinion survey among its platform members to analyse how employers see the increasing salaries of helpers, which collected 112 responses from employers. 34.8% of employers are currently paying their helpers HK$5,001 – HK$6,000 and 39.3% are paying HK$4,630 – HK$5,000 even though 61.6% of them think the reasonable salary range is HK$4,630-HK$5,000, 26.8% voted for HK$5,001-HK$6,000, reflecting the competitive helper market.
63.4% expected to pay about the same basic salary to their helpers, 23.2% to pay more in the coming year.
Only 60% of employers showed no concern about losing their current helper. When asked the estimated time for getting a replacement, 45.9% of them expect to take 1 – 3 months.
As for helpers, they also expected a higher salary range. As per the helper’s expected salary data from August 2021 to August 2022 on HelperChoice platform, 51.38% out of 4,101 helpers expect the salary range HK$5,001-HK$6,000 and only 22.0% expect HK$4,630-HK$5,000, indicating that there is a room for adjusting domestic helper’s current minimum salary HK$4,730.
Press contact:
Mahee LECLERC – mahee@helperchoice.com – +852 9132 3115
About HelperChoice
Founded in 2012 by two French banking executives in Hong Kong, HelperChoice has become the leading platform connecting foreign domestic workers and families in Asia. HelperChoice was set up as a social enterprise, and its impact was recognised by many organisations, including the International Labour Organisation. HelperChoice has been acquired by Yoopies in 2019. With this acquisition, the European-based group Yoopies became the global leader outside of the United States in domestic jobs recruitment.
About Worklike
Worklife is the leading care platform in Europe disrupting the way we find, hire and manage caregivers for childcare, housekeeping, pet care, senior care and tutoring. The platform aims to give families and homeowners access to affordable and trusted care, becoming a one-stop-shop for booking home care professionals. It offers a comprehensive service, including online payment and automated administrative procedures. Worklife also leveraged the B2C model to build a B2B solution for companies to improve the well-being of its employees and has more than 100 clients (SAP, Société Générale, Publicis, Air France, Capgemini).