The flight ban from June 25 on domestic workers from the Philippines and Indonesia has affected about 1,000 families in Hong Kong, who are now approaching local service providers.
With flights from the Philippines to Hong Kong being banned from April 2021 and Indonesia being added to the ban list from June 25, the arrival of between 800 and 1,000 domestic helpers from the two countries would be delayed. Thomas Chan, chairman of the Hong Kong Union of Employment Agencies warned that 300 more overseas workers may have their contracts terminated.
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Describing the ban’s impact as serious, he said this is the second time this impact is being felt on the Hong Kong employment industry in regard to the Philippines and the Indonesian market.
Chan shared that there was one Hong Kong woman who hired an Indonesia to take care of his father who suffered a stroke. However, the said worker could not come due to the flight ban and so the woman was considering the more expensive options of sending her father to a home for the elderly or hiring a caregiver.
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Meanwhile, Mike Cheung, president of the Overseas Employment Centre, said that around 300 domestic helpers registered by his company were affected due to the ban. (AW)
