Labor attache
Rudy Salud
(above) says it
will take
sometime for any
impact to be
seen on
domestic helper
numbers.
Rudy Salud
(above) says it
will take
sometime for any
impact to be
seen on
domestic helper
numbers.
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Helpers' jobs safe from financial crisis
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filglobe.com
filipino globe online edition
Professionals, retail staff are more likely to feel the pain
JOSE MARCELO HONG KONG
Labor officials insist domestic jobs would be the most resilient amid
doomsday forecasts that the global economic crisis would lead to mass
layoffs among foreign helpers in Hong Kong.
Labor attaché Romy Salud said there has been no drastic movement in the
deployment numbers since global markets unravelled and he is confident
there would be no major loss of jobs among helpers as the territory copes with
the contagion.
JOSE MARCELO HONG KONG
Labor officials insist domestic jobs would be the most resilient amid
doomsday forecasts that the global economic crisis would lead to mass
layoffs among foreign helpers in Hong Kong.
Labor attaché Romy Salud said there has been no drastic movement in the
deployment numbers since global markets unravelled and he is confident
there would be no major loss of jobs among helpers as the territory copes with
the contagion.
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Migrant
groups have
urged the
Philippine
government to
lay down
contingency
measures
groups have
urged the
Philippine
government to
lay down
contingency
measures
“We haven’t seen anything in the hiring
numbers that is cause for alarm,” Salud said.
“And I’m quite confident that helpers’ jobs will
not be affected too much even if the economic
situation in Hong Kong worsens.”
Salud’s explanation is simple.
Luxuries are normally the first to go when
families suffer financial difficulties, Salud said,
and domestic helpers are no longer a luxury
but a necessity in a society where two-income
households are the norm.
numbers that is cause for alarm,” Salud said.
“And I’m quite confident that helpers’ jobs will
not be affected too much even if the economic
situation in Hong Kong worsens.”
Salud’s explanation is simple.
Luxuries are normally the first to go when
families suffer financial difficulties, Salud said,
and domestic helpers are no longer a luxury
but a necessity in a society where two-income
households are the norm.
“Domestic helpers are already part of life in Hong Kong,” Salud said. “Helpers
are invaluable for Hong Kong families, not only because they take care of the
children but also because they enable the mother to join the workforce.”
The danger could be bigger for professionals, which comprise about 5 per
cent of the Filipino migrant population in the territory, as well as expats
working in retail outlets and restaurants.
Job losses may become prevalent in these sectors once Hong Kong
companies feel the impact of the economic crunch, officials said.
But Salud (below) is confident that helpers would be spared even if the
situation makes a turn for the worse next year, as forecast by Hong Kong
officials.
Working mothers can ill-afford to give up their jobs during lean times, Salud
said, and stay-at-home moms may even be forced to work to augment the
family income. Under both circumstances helpers would be indispensable.
Despite the assurances, migrant groups have raised an alarm and urged the
Philippine government to lay down contingency measures for overseas
workers who will lose their jobs and are forced to return home.
Connie Bragas-Regalado, chairwoman of Migrante International, has warned
that a “domino effect’ may result in mass layoffs of helpers once companies
in regional financial hubs like Singapore and Hong Kong collapse.
“Big companies collapsing will force smaller ones to cut jobs or close down.
It’s very simple: If you have no job, you can’t afford a maid,” Regalado, who
had worked in Hong Kong as a helper for 13 years, said.
These fears, however, were immediately played down by Labor
undersecretary Lourdes Trasmonte, who said helpers are the “least
vulnerable” amid the global crunch -- a view shared by the Center for Migrant
Advocacy.
Ellene Sana, the center’s executive director, even foresees an increase in
demand for helpers. “Domestic work is resilient in times of crisis,” she said.
“With the economic meltdown, social protection is likely to go down as well.
So who will be left in the house if both parents work?”
If the Asian crisis of the late eighties and the Sars epidemic of 2003 are to
serve as gauge, Hong Kong old-timers believe the current crisis will directly
impact two fronts – the number of new hires and the maids’ salaries.
The Asian crisis triggered the steady decline in the number of Filipina maids
in the territory after posting watershed marks in 1997 while the post-Sars
years saw the government slash the minimum wage for helpers by $400 and
at the same time impose a $400-a-month levy on employers.
On both occasions, the drop in hiring numbers was gradual, they said.
are invaluable for Hong Kong families, not only because they take care of the
children but also because they enable the mother to join the workforce.”
The danger could be bigger for professionals, which comprise about 5 per
cent of the Filipino migrant population in the territory, as well as expats
working in retail outlets and restaurants.
Job losses may become prevalent in these sectors once Hong Kong
companies feel the impact of the economic crunch, officials said.
But Salud (below) is confident that helpers would be spared even if the
situation makes a turn for the worse next year, as forecast by Hong Kong
officials.
Working mothers can ill-afford to give up their jobs during lean times, Salud
said, and stay-at-home moms may even be forced to work to augment the
family income. Under both circumstances helpers would be indispensable.
Despite the assurances, migrant groups have raised an alarm and urged the
Philippine government to lay down contingency measures for overseas
workers who will lose their jobs and are forced to return home.
Connie Bragas-Regalado, chairwoman of Migrante International, has warned
that a “domino effect’ may result in mass layoffs of helpers once companies
in regional financial hubs like Singapore and Hong Kong collapse.
“Big companies collapsing will force smaller ones to cut jobs or close down.
It’s very simple: If you have no job, you can’t afford a maid,” Regalado, who
had worked in Hong Kong as a helper for 13 years, said.
These fears, however, were immediately played down by Labor
undersecretary Lourdes Trasmonte, who said helpers are the “least
vulnerable” amid the global crunch -- a view shared by the Center for Migrant
Advocacy.
Ellene Sana, the center’s executive director, even foresees an increase in
demand for helpers. “Domestic work is resilient in times of crisis,” she said.
“With the economic meltdown, social protection is likely to go down as well.
So who will be left in the house if both parents work?”
If the Asian crisis of the late eighties and the Sars epidemic of 2003 are to
serve as gauge, Hong Kong old-timers believe the current crisis will directly
impact two fronts – the number of new hires and the maids’ salaries.
The Asian crisis triggered the steady decline in the number of Filipina maids
in the territory after posting watershed marks in 1997 while the post-Sars
years saw the government slash the minimum wage for helpers by $400 and
at the same time impose a $400-a-month levy on employers.
On both occasions, the drop in hiring numbers was gradual, they said.
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