Helpers who quit for carer scheme face blacklist, Sun warns
Foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong who break contracts without valid reason to join a government pilot for imported elderly caregivers could be blacklisted, Labour Secretary Chris Sun warned. The scheme requires 150 hours of overseas training and is part of a broader ageing strategy.
Foreign domestic helpers who terminate their employment contracts without valid reason to join a government pilot scheme for imported elderly caregivers risk being barred from future work in Hong Kong, Secretary for Labor and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said on Monday.
Sun's warning came during a Legislative Council Panel on Welfare Services meeting, where lawmakers raised concerns about the quality of overseas training under the initiative. Legislators questioned whether the scheme could encourage domestic helpers already in Hong Kong to switch jobs for higher wages or take on additional debt before leaving the city.
In response, Sun said the administration is vetting accredited institutions in workers' home countries to administer training and conduct rigorous assessments. Candidates must complete at least 150 hours of training before arriving in Hong Kong, he added.
He also warned that local foreign domestic helpers who resign without valid reason could be blacklisted, effectively preventing them from future employment in the city.
The pilot scheme is part of broader efforts outlined in the Report on Ageing Society Strategies, released last month. The government formed a working group last year to compile the report, which contains 73 measures across 11 areas to prepare for demographic change.
Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration Warner Cheuk Wing-hing, who led the group, said the measures span healthcare, technology, the economy, elderly care and urban planning. They form a coordinated strategy to address the projected growth of Hong Kong's elderly population, which is expected to reach 2.74 million, or more than one-third of the total population, by 2046.
