Hong Kong raises foreign domestic helper minimum wage to HK$5,220

Hong Kong has raised the monthly minimum wage for foreign domestic helpers by 2.35 per cent to HK$5,220 (US$665), with the new rate applying to contracts signed on or after Saturday. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han defended the decision after it drew criticism from both helper representatives and employers’ groups. He said the government had sought to maintain an annual adjustment process that was balanced and acceptable.

Sun said the government considered inflation, employers’ incomes and Hong Kong’s overall economic performance in deciding whether to change the wage and determining the size of the increase. He said the territory’s economic performance had been better this year than last year. The food allowance for helpers who are not provided with free meals will remain at HK$1,236 a month.

The government also kept that allowance unchanged during the previous year’s wage adjustment. The Hong Kong Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions had proposed a minimum wage of HK$6,670 and a food allowance of HK$2,770. Employers’ associations had called for a pay freeze, saying higher household costs could reduce employment opportunities.

Last year, the minimum wage rose 2.2 per cent, from HK$4,990 to HK$5,100. Sun said a freeze had been implemented during the pandemic, and that the authorities reviewed the relevant economic data before making each decision. About 380,000 foreign domestic helpers work in Hong Kong, mainly from the Philippines and Indonesia.

Many earn the statutory minimum, while others receive higher pay based on experience and caregiving requirements. A HelperChoice survey based on more than 1,000 job advertisements found that the average monthly wage was HK$5,559 in 2026, down from HK$5,722 a year earlier. The survey said wages were highest on Hong Kong Island and lowest in the New Territories.