HelperChoice has carried out a survey with 921 domestic workers currently deployed in Hong Kong where they shared how the current virus and travel ban from the Philippines are affecting their daily lives and work. There are currently 400,000 domestic helpers working in the city, of which a majority are from the Philippines and Indonesia, and this number is expected to keep rising in the coming years.
Losing Rest Days Over Safety Measures
After months of political unrest affecting Hong Kong, foreign domestic workers’ schedules are now facing a new challenge, the Coronavirus.
While every citizen is taking extra precautions to avoid being infected, the current situation is also preventing foreign domestic workers, for most times, to go out on their weekly rest day.
On the 30th of January, the Hong Kong Labour Department advised in an official notice, all foreign domestic workers to stay home on their rest day, the spokesperson saying:
Aside from the government recommendations, a large majority of the surveyed helpers either discussed the current situation with their employers (60%), their friends in the city (65%) or their relatives back home (76%).
Overall, the testimonies that HelperChoice collected are surprisingly positive. In those difficult times most employers encourage their helpers to take it easy. For example, Joy, a domestic worker in Hong Kong testifies:
Avoiding The Proliferation of Fake News
By analysing the social media channels of helpers’ communities in the city, the platform realised that there is a lot of misinformation. Mahee Leclerc, Head of HelperChoice in Hong Kong declares:
A concerning result as 84% of the respondents declare social media as their primary source of information about the virus.
She adds:
Travel Ban From The Philippines, Which Consequences?
HelperChoice also asked the respondents if they, or their relatives, were affected by the current travel ban from the Philippines. At the moment no Filipino citizen currently in the Philippines can travel to China or its Special Administrative Regions, Hong Kong and Macao. 54% of the surveyed workers are not affected, 16% are personally affected and 30% have close friends or relatives affected by this ban.
The situation has left employers of foreign domestic workers in difficult situations as new overseas hires and domestic workers that went back to the Philippines for holidays are now unable to travel back to Hong Kong.
However, when asked what they think about this situation, the responses were extremely positive and understanding. For example, Giemar, a domestic worker currently deployed in Hong Kong, comments:
While Che, another helper working in the city, says:
Which Solutions For Employers of Foreign Domestic Workers?
While the The Hong Kong Labour Department gave consent for all foreign domestic workers’ contracts that expire on or before March 31 to be extended up to May 31, HelperChoice is the best solution for employers looking forward to hiring a new domestic worker right now.
HelperChoice is the first digital service to hire and provide training to domestic workers in Hong Kong. The platform proposes almost exclusively finished contracts profiles. Being already in Hong Kong, helpers finishing their contracts are not affected by the travel ban and remain the best option for employers.
Also, by searching and interviewing domestic workers online through HelperChoice, employers can do most of the procedures from home, avoiding unnecessary journeys, as more Coronavirus cases are confirmed in the city every day.
Despite the situation, foreign domestic workers remain optimistic about the situation in Hong Kong. Overall, more than 90% of the helpers surveyed do not consider moving to another country to work and will remain in the city. A good outcome for Hong Kong society, as today 1 out of 7 families rely on foreign domestic workers to take care of their loved ones.