![\"hong](\"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Are-Domestic-Helpers-Affected-by-Hong-Kong-Unrest.png\")
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HelperChoice<\/a> has carried out a survey with 982 domestic helpers currently deployed in Hong Kong where they shared with us how the current unrest is affecting their daily lives and work. This study follows the Philippines Labor Secretary statement on Tuesday mentioning that the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) are considering a \u201cpossible deployment (ban)\u201d with regards to sending overseas Filipino workers (OFW) to Hong Kong due to the political unrest in the region.<\/strong><\/p>\n The ethical platform HelperChoice reached out to Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong to understand their side of the story and how the recent unrest is affecting them. There are currently 400,000 domestic helpers working in the city, of which 55% are from the Philippines, and this number is expected to keep rising in the coming years.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, the Philippines Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, mentioned that the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) were considering a \u201cpossible deployment (ban)\u201d with regards to sending overseas Filipino workers (OFW) to Hong Kong, following the political unrest in the region and the arrest of a Filipino citizen during a recent protest. The Filipino government also advises all Filipinos nationals in Hong Kong to avoid any protest locations and to stay indoors.<\/p>\n Amongst the respondents, 65% have seen one or several marches and a large majority have discussed the current situation with their relatives or employers. 70% are talking about the situation with their friends in Hong Kong, 60% have broached the subject with their employers and 55% even discuss it with their friends and relatives back home.<\/p>\n When it comes to affecting their daily work life or personal life. Only 16% of the surveyed helpers claimed that their work was disturbed. However, 64% of them are affected during their days off; for the most part, foreign domestic workers have one day off a week on Sunday and now need to adapt their usual activities due to the events.<\/p>\n Regarding the possible deployment ban, a large majority of surveyed Filipino foreign domestic workers would not consider relocating for work or going back to the Philippines. In fact, 52% of them are not worried by the recent events and 45% declared that they were worried but not willing to relocate, one saying: \u201cIn my opinion, you should just avoid the places where protests are located and avoid wearing white or black during the day of the protests. And you will be fine.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Only 3% are very concerned by Hong Kong current environment and willing to move either to another country or to go back to the Philippines. A few respondents also mentioned they are afraid of losing their jobs if many foreign employers decide to relocate to their home country: \u201cHong Kong is one of the world\u2019s biggest business centres. The current situation affects the city\u2019s economy. Investors of companies, big or small, as well as their employees are our employers. It\u2019s sad to say, but some are already considering to move or go back to their home countries and if that happens, domestic workers are doomed. Jobless.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n A deployment ban would have a huge impact on families in Hong Kong and society in general. According to a recent study by Enrich, foreign domestic workers (FDW) contributed to 3.6% of Hong Kong GDP in 2018, that is to say USD $12.6 billion, this amount should reach USD $15 billion by 2030.<\/p>\n Hong Kong households often have no alternative but to hire a foreign domestic worker. When it comes to childcare, hiring a domestic helper allows Hong Kong families to save up to USD $700 per month. Also, due to the ageing population in the city, the need for elderly care has increased, and local carers tend to be more expensive. According to the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong, 15% of households in Hong Kong in 2018 depended on domestic helpers, with 1 out of 7 households employing one.<\/p>\n HelperChoice advises foreign domestic workers to follow their government guidelines and to stay safe. Throughout the years, we have encouraged Foreign Domestic Workers to understand their rights in the country they apply for, whether that\u2019s in Hong Kong<\/a> or Singapore<\/a>, by working closely with local NGO<\/a>s and actively participating in the International Labour Organization (ILO) Integrated Programme on Fair Recruitment. This is a global project seeking to contribute to the promotion of fair recruitment practices globally and across specific migration corridors in North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.<\/p>\n Despite the unrest, most domestic helpers in Hong Kong continue to feel safe and remain committed to their work. What matters now is staying informed, communicating openly, and prioritizing safety on both sides. Domestic workers are an essential part of Hong Kong households, and their wellbeing should always be protected.<\/p>\n At HelperChoice, we continue to advocate for fair, ethical recruitment and clear information for both employers and domestic workers.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Visit www.helperchoice.com for trusted hiring guides, worker rights resources, and ethical recruitment support.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" HelperChoice has carried out a survey with 982 domestic helpers currently deployed in Hong Kong where they shared with us how the current unrest is affecting their daily lives and work. This study follows the Philippines Labor Secretary statement on Tuesday mentioning that the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) are considering a \u201cpossible deployment […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":12008,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"description":"Hong Kong unrest and domestic helpers: see how 982 FDWs are affected, from rest-day changes to safety concerns, and what HelperChoice recommends.","title":"Are Domestic Helpers Affected by Hong Kong Unrest? - HelperChoice Blog"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[184],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rights-regulation"],"blocksy_meta":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/yoopies-cms2fc74c5d8d-eb2b-4ffb-ba73-d4a2d33ddb39-domestichelperhongkonghelperchoice.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12007"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14209,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12007\/revisions\/14209"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Moving Forward Together<\/strong><\/h2>\n