Hong Kong’s long-awaited foreign domestic caregiver pilot will start in the second half of 2027, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun confirmed in a Legislative Council reply on 21 October. Unlike the existing foreign domestic helper programme, the new scheme focuses on professional elder-care. Applicants must show at least three years of geriatric experience, complete a government-designed training course in their home country and pass an assessment by an accredited Hong Kong institution before arrival. Initial quotas will be capped at “a few hundred” workers per year to test market response and regulatory safeguards. Demographic pressure is driving the move. By 2033, one in three Hongkongers will be aged 65 or above, yet the city’s care-home waiting list already tops 40,000. Employers in the private home-care sector say chronic labour shortages have pushed up wages by 25 % in three years, threatening service sustainability. For multinational HR teams, the pilot could relieve pressure on expatriate staff who struggle to find reliable in-home care for ageing parents—a key factor influencing assignment acceptance rates. However, tight quotas and rigorous entry standards mean demand will likely outstrip supply in the first phase, keeping wages high. Officials will publish detailed rules by mid-2027 after stakeholder consultations. Businesses employing caregivers are advised to budget for mandatory insurance, accommodation standards and skills-upgrade levies that the government is expected to bundle into the scheme.
Source: The Standard
