Reply:
(a)
- 23 -
(b)
(c)
All foreign domestic helpers (FDHS) in Hong Kong are admitted to work for a specific employer under a standard two-year contract of employment which stipulates the terms and conditions of their employment. This standard contract is governed by all the relevant labour legislation in Hong Kong. Each FDH is also entitled to receive from his/her employer a specified minimum allowable monthly wage. At present, this amounts to HK$3,750. Employers are not required to pay any retraining charges arising from the employment of such helpers.
As regards the FDHs in Singapore, we understand that their employment is not governed by any standard contract of employment. The terms and conditions of employment are subject to negotiations between the employers and the helpers themselves. The helpers are not entitled to any specified minimum monthly wage. Their average monthly wage ranges from S$150 - S$350. However, the employer of cach FDH in Singapore is required to pay to the Government a monthly levy of S$330 and a security bond of $$5,000 as a deposit. The latter amount will be refunded to the employer upon the termination of the service and departure from Singapore of that helper.
The breakdown of FDHS permitted to work in Hong Kong by country of origin as at 31 May 1995 is at Annex.
As with the employment of any other types of local workers, the employment of local domestic helpers should be decided by the forces of demand and supply in a freely-competitive labour market. The Government's responsibility is to facilitate such employment through the provision of employment services and suitable training and retraining.
The Local Employment Service (LES) of the Labour Department provides free employment assistance and counselling services to all local job-seekers, including domestic helpers, who register for employment. Anyone who wishes to employ local domestic helpers can also register with any of the LES offices. According to the statistics kept by LES, the placement cases of local domestic helpers constitute about 4.7% of the total placement figures.
The Employees Retraining Board (ERB) is now running two job-specific retraining courses on domestic work. A total of 199 retrainees have completed the courses and 38 are still attending them. The ERB is liaising with a number of training bodies and other interested organisations with a view to organising more retraining courses on domestic work.