Hong Kong residents must pay thousands of dollars more to hire domestic helpers from Indonesia as Jakarta enforces new rules
- Indonesia-based agencies claim many Hong Kong counterparts not complying with regulations requiring employers to pay full recruitment cost of up to HK$20,000
- Source says Indonesian official to visit city this month to discuss nation’s commitment to implementing rules, which were adopted last year
Hong Kong residents must pay thousands of dollars more to hire a domestic worker from Indonesia as Jakarta plans to enforce revised rules on recruitment, according to agencies from the country.
The Indonesian agencies, which met Hong Kong labour officials on Wednesday, warned that employers who failed to follow the regulations would not have their applications processed.
Filius Yandono, secretary general of Indonesian recruitment association Aspataki, also noted that only some experienced workers knew about the update that took effect last year, while many employers and agencies from the city were unaware.
“We believe there is still confusion after the implementation,” Yandono said.
The changes require helpers to pay only for the cost of undergoing training, while employers have to shoulder the full recruitment cost of up to HK$20,000 – several thousand dollars more than at present, depending on the agency.
