Living on the breadline

Foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong find themselves in a financial quagmire as pandemic takes its toll on their lives. Wang Yuke reports from Hong Kong.

'I have been struggling to pay for my son's therapies and medical bills since COVID-19 struck. I'm at the end of my rope. But I know that no matter what, I need the money to ensure he will get through," said Jota, a Filipino domestic worker, who has been working in Hong Kong for 20 years.

Jota has been grappling to make ends meet since the pandemic hit early last year. Although life is gradually returning to normal, she is still suffering from the financial and emotional shocks.

Jota, who declined to reveal her full name, is not alone in trying to get out of the quagmire. A survey conducted by HelperChoice and Enrich HK from May to June showed that 69 percent of 814 foreign domestic workers polled have been financially affected by the pandemic. More than 40 percent blamed higher expenses and having to send more money back to their families for their plight.

HelperChoice is Hong Kong's first online platform aimed at linking up foreign domestic workers with prospective employers without having to go to a recruitment agency, while Enrich HK is a charity group dedicated to promoting the economic well-being of domestic workers in the city.

Zamira Monteiro, communications manager of Enrich HK, described the number of foreign domestic workers in dire financial straits as "staggering" and in line with what she had observed. Many foreign domestic workers are sole breadwinners and the only source of income for their families as many family members have lost their jobs due to the bleak economic climate, Monteiro said. "In the Philippines, the jobless rate is very high at 8.7 percent. So the domestic workers have to send more money home to help their families ride it out."