Domestic helper agency in Hong Kong places more than 2,000 Filipino maids without charging them fees
Focusing on upholding ethical practices and empowering workers, group is unique in city where forced labour is technically not a crime
The co-founder of the Fair Employment Agency believes that Hong Kong is on the right track to eradicate the exploitation of domestic workers by 2024, noting his organisation has placed more than 2,000 Filipino helpers at no cost to them.
More employment agencies operate in Hong Kong – about 1,400 – than McDonald’s and 7/11 stores combined, serving a growing community of some 380,000 foreign domestic workers.
What difference will an increase to the minimum wage mean for the lowest-paid in Hong Kong?
The Fair Employment Agency officially opened in September 2014 and as of early this year has been able to place more than 2,000 domestic workers in jobs without charging them any fees for its services. Co-founder Scott Stiles, who made the 2018 Forbes list of “30 under 30” social entrepreneurs in Asia, calculated that the agency helped workers avoid an estimated US$3 million in recruitment debt.
“The environment in Hong Kong now compared to 3 ½ years ago when we started is very different,” Stiles said. “People are far more engaged in this, and the Hong Kong government is doing a lot to improve the situation for domestic workers.”
Unethical agencies create problems and harm the economy
