Three hundred Bangladesh domestic helpers ready to come to Hong Kong, says consul-general

A total of 300 domestic helpers from Bangladesh have completed their training and are ready to come to work in Hong Kong, Bangladesh consul-general Israt Ara said. 

The SAR government has been exploring other options over recent controversy that Indonesia may pass all employment costs of their domestic helpers to employers. 

Labor minister Chris Sun Yuk-han later met with acting Indonesian consul-general and confirmed that there won’t be any changes to the cost structure of fees. Still, the government said it will actively discuss with other places, including Bangladesh and Cambodia, to widen the sources of foreign domestic helpers. 

In a TV interview aired on Wednesday, Ara said there are some 750 Bangladesh helpers in the SAR and another 300 have completed their training and are ready to come to work at any time. 

She also pointed out that she has listed out her demands following a previous meeting with Sun. 

“Whether any trainer from Hong Kong can go to Bangladesh to train the domestic helpers in the training centers, especially the Cantonese language. Also maybe our trainers can come here [Hong Kong]. 

“This is the kind of cooperation we sought, and the Labour Department assured us of full cooperation from their side,” Ara said. 

Currently, the intermediary fee for employing a Bangladesh domestic helper ranges from HK$8,000 to HK$10,000. When asked if the fee will be lowered to attract Hong Kong employers, Ara said she is not in a good position to comment on the matter as it is the agency’s own affairs. 

“The number of agencies working in Hong Kong is about 3,000 and we are working with like 30 to 35 agencies. You can understand there is a big gap here,” Ara also said. 

As for the number of Bangladesh helpers taking up a smaller portion among all helpers in the city, Ara said it depends on employers’ own choices. 

“If the demand is not there, if the employers are not choosing the domestic helpers from Bangladesh, they definitely cannot come here. You can understand that the decisions lie on the preference of the employers.” 

Ara said she attended a follow-up meeting and believed the government’s attitude was positive. She suggested the government provides a certain quota for helpers from Bangladesh so that they can come to work in Hong Kong.