‘Balanced and acceptable’: labour chief defends helper wage rise amid criticism

Hong Kong’s stronger economic performance over the past year is the reason for raising the monthly minimum wage for foreign domestic helpers, the labour minister has said amid disappointment from both unions and employers’ groups.

Defending the government’s decision to raise the monthly minimum wage by 2.35 per cent to HK$5,220 (US$665), Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said the government sought to keep the annual adjustment mechanism “balanced and acceptable”.

Speaking after a radio programme on Saturday, Sun said: “If you look back, the average annual increase has been between 2 per cent and 2.5 per cent for many years.”

“If you look at the overall data, Hong Kong’s economic performance this year is better than last year, which everyone can see.”

The new wage level will apply to all contracts signed on or after Saturday. However, the government has kept the monthly food allowance for helpers who are not provided with free meals unchanged at HK$1,236.

The announcement drew criticism from both helpers’ groups and employers’ associations.

The Hong Kong Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions had earlier proposed raising the minimum wage to HK$6,670 and the food allowance to HK$2,770.

Employers, meanwhile, had called for a pay freeze, citing cost-of-living pressures on families that could reduce employment opportunities for helpers.

Last year, the government raised helpers’ minimum wage by 2.2 per cent, from HK$4,990 to HK$5,100, while leaving the food allowance unchanged.

Sun said authorities had considered data including inflation, employers’ income and Hong Kong’s overall economic performance when assessing this year’s increase.

“After considering this data, the government made a comprehensive decision on whether to adjust the minimum wage for that year, and if so, by how much,” he said, adding that a pay freeze had been implemented during the pandemic.

“We strive to ensure that the entire adjustment mechanism is balanced and acceptable to Hong Kong.

“I think this will ensure that Hong Kong continues to operate smoothly because many families need the help of foreign domestic helpers.”

About 380,000 foreign domestic helpers work in Hong Kong, most of them from the Philippines and Indonesia. While many earn the minimum wage, others command higher salaries depending on their experience and families’ caregiving needs.

According to the latest salary survey by HelperChoice, a Hong Kong-based recruitment platform, the average monthly wage for a helper was HK$5,559 in 2026, down 2.8 per cent from HK$5,722 a year earlier.

The survey, based on more than 1,000 job advertisements posted on the platform between September 2025 and August 2026, also found that salaries were highest on Hong Kong Island and lowest in the New Territories.