In this March 15, 2021 photo, foreign domestic helpers gather at Victoria Park, in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG – The minimum wage for foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) working in Hong Kong will be increased by HK$140 – or 3 percent – to HK$4,870 per month, the special administrative region government announced on Friday. 

The helpers’ monthly food allowance will be increased by HK$40 to not less than HK$1,236 if the employers opts not to provide free food to them, the government said in a statement.

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Taking into account the above, the affordability of employers and the livelihood of the FDHs, the government has decided to adjust the minimum allowable wage.

Spokesman, HKSAR Govt

The new levels of the minimum allowable wage and food allowance will apply to all contracts signed on or after Saturday (Sept 30), according to the statement.

A government spokesman said the changes come after the SAR government carefully considered the city’s general economic and labor market conditions over the past year and the near-term economic outlook.

“Taking into account the above, the affordability of employers and the livelihood of the FDHs, the government has decided to adjust the minimum allowable wage,” said the spokesman.

Contracts signed on Friday or earlier at the existing minimum wage of HK$4,730 per month and with food allowance of not less than HK$1,196 per month will still be processed by the Immigration Department provided that the applications reach the department on or before Oct 27, according to the statement.

READ MORE: FDH minimum wage unchanged, says HK govt

In this June 17, 2018 file photo, foreign domestic workers walk along a downtown street in Hong Kong. (PHOTO / AP)

“This arrangement will give employers sufficient time to send the signed contracts to the Immigration Department for completion of the necessary application procedures,” the spokesman added.