Hiring Indonesian maids to cost more

It will cost more than HK$20,000 to hire a helper from Indonesia after the country said Hong Kong employers will have to bear all transport and administrative costs.

The Indonesian government said it would strictly implement the "zero-placement" policy, which means helpers do not need to pay any fees before being employed in Hong Kong.

Filius Yandono, secretary-general of the Association of Indonesian Manpower Placement Companies, estimated that employers would have to pay an extra HK$4,000 to HK$5,000 to hire an Indonesian maid.

Yandono said the policy was passed in March last year and implemented in September and employers in Taiwan and Malaysia are already following the measure.

Chairman Saiful Mashud said the extra costs mainly cover the recruitment fee of helpers.

There is no penalty if employers refuse to pay the extra costs, Mashud said. But if neither the employer nor the agency pays up, the Indonesian government could block the helper from coming to Hong Kong.

Previously, hiring an Indonesian helper cost about HK$12,000 to HK$18,000 in agency fees and employers were only responsible for the medical examination fee, insurance, round-trip airfare and transport to the airport for helpers, said Ng Shu-kit, in charge of Wang Fullco Employment Agency. Under the zero-fee policy, employers will be responsible for all expenses related to hiring Indonesian helpers, including the fee paid to the Indonesian recruitment agency.

Wang Meng of the Hong Kong Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions is doubtful about the effectiveness of the policy.

She said Hong Kong agencies are collecting "unlawful and excessive" agency fees, which the "Hong Kong and Indonesian governments are doing nothing about."

And that makes her think the extra cost will eventually be transferred back to helpers.

According to government statistics, Hong Kong employed 140,000 Indonesian helpers and 190,000 Filipino maids as of the end of last year.

The Labour Department said the government and the Indonesian consulate have discussed preventing adjusting policies that will cause the cost of hiring helpers to surge.

Lawmaker Frankie Ngan Man-yu said the zero-fee policy will only push employers to hire helpers from other countries.

Thomas Chan Tung-fung, chair of the Hong Kong Union of Employment Agencies, said 20 to 30 percent of employers planning to hire Indonesian helpers will switch to those from other countries.

But he added some families will still hire Indonesian workers as many of them understand Cantonese and can take care of the elderly.

Cheung Kit-man, chairman of the Hong Kong Employment Agencies Association, said he felt positive toward the strict implementation of the policy.

"There will be no impact on agencies that play by the rules," Cheung said. "Taking a hard hit will be those agencies that operate without a license as they charge less than HK$10,000 in agency fees."

Amy Lee, a Hong Kong employer, said she will just hire helpers from other countries.

Another employer, Chui, said helpers may not work as hard or even work badly if they no longer need to pay the cost.

Chui said the maid she hired worked hard during her first month when she had to pay a recruitment fee but later on became lazy and played with her phone all the time.