Minister warns quitters may face caregiver blacklist
Bastillepost · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
At a Legislative Council welfare panel meeting on Monday, officials defended the government’s Report on Measures to Cope with Population Ageing, which sets out 73 measures across 11 areas to address Hong Kong’s ageing population. Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing (卓永興), who leads the working group behind the report, said the package includes both enhancements and new initiatives rather than a repackaging of old ideas. A key focus of the discussion was the pilot scheme to import foreign home carers, with lawmakers questioning whether it could encourage existing foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong to demand higher pay or switch jobs. Labour and Welfare Secretary Chris Sun Yuk-han (孫玉菡) said helpers who resign without valid reason and later apply to work in Hong Kong again may be placed on a blacklist.
Key Points
- Cheuk said Hong Kong’s ageing challenge mirrors a global trend, with the city’s population aged 65 or above projected to reach 2.74 million by 2046.
- He said that group would account for more than one-third of Hong Kong’s population, underscoring pressure on healthcare, elderly care, finance and urban design.
- DAB lawmaker Cheung Pui-kong (張培剛) questioned the quality of overseas training under the pilot scheme and possible risks of wage demands, job-hopping and debt-related departures.
- Sun said the government is seeking Hong Kong professional bodies to provide training in the workers’ home countries, and candidates must pass strict assessments to prevent fraud.
- He added that relevant workers must first return to their place of origin for at least 150 hours of training before joining the scheme.
Why It Matters
The debate shows how the government is trying to expand care capacity for an ageing society without worsening long-running tensions in Hong Kong’s foreign domestic helper market. It also points to the policy trade-off between protecting employers and securing a trained caregiving workforce as demand for eldercare rises.