Foreign carer scheme may drive up wages, leave poor without help, employers warn

Hong Kong will admit foreign carers with more advanced training and experience in elderly care under pilot scheme unveiled in policy address Authorities revealed on Friday that the minimum wage for carers under the pilot scheme would be 10 to 20 per cent higher than that for existing helpers. The current minimum allowable wage for helpers is HK$5,100 (US$654) a month. Betty Yung Ma Shan-yee, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Employers of Domestic Helpers Association, said 30 per cent of the city’s more than 378,000 foreign domestic helpers were already caring for elderly people, questioning the need for a separate category of workers.

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