Indonesia urges improvements to migrant workers' rights and employability in Hong Kong

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The Manpower Minister proposed to the HKSAR government to improve PMIs’ rights in terms of minimum wage, working hours and holidays, as well as an easy, fast and fair visa processing process.

The Indonesian Manpower Ministry is urging the HKSAR government to improve the protection of basic rights, as well as open up job opportunities, for Indonesian migrant workers (pekerja migran Indonesia, or PMI) in Hong Kong.

This was requested during a bilateral meeting between Chris Sun, Secretary for Labour and Welfare of Hong Kong, and Ida Fauziyah, Minister of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia, this Monday (31 July 2023).

At the meeting, the Minister proposed to the HKSAR government to improve Indonesian PMIs’ rights in terms of minimum wage, working hours and holidays, as well as an easy, fast and fair visa processing process.

"I urge the Hong Kong authority to consider increasing the PMIs' minimum wage in 2023, considering the development of current basic needs," said Fauziyah in a statement.

The Minister added that uninterrupted rest, both day and night, will also have a positive impact on the health and working ability of PMIs. "I want the Hong Kong authority to be able to stipulate regulations regarding working hours and rest periods for foreign domestic workers," she remarked.

Meanwhile, the Minister said that the employer has to pay a placement fee for the recruitment and placement of PMIs. The Hong Kong authority has determined the cost components to be borne by the employer and written in the Standard Employment Contract. However, Indonesia also determines the placement fee components that can be charged to employers.

"What has been stated in the Standard Employment Contract, is not only the cost component according to Hong Kong regulations but also the cost component according to the worker's origin country," she remarked.

This also comes with the news that Hong Kong employers will have to bear all transportation, training, and administrative costs for hiring an Indonesian domestic helper.

Furthermore, the Minister expressed her keenness for the HKSAR government to open up opportunities for PMIs to work in the formal sector that requires a high level of skills, such as nurses, elderly nurses, and jobs in the hotel sector.

"I believe that through cooperation between Indonesia and Hong Kong, especially in the field of manpower, it can get stronger and be sustainable," she stated.

According to the Minister of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia, as of the end of June 2023, there were 33,625 PMI placements in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the total number of migrant workers from Indonesia in the domestic sector was recorded at 142,621, making Indonesia one of the largest sending countries for PMI to Hong Kong.

 Photo / Ministry of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia’s website