Macau representatives at the National People’s Congress have called for support of Hong Kong and Macau residents living in the Guangdong-
Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin being allowed to hire foreign domestic workers.
According to Chinese media reports, the representatives are calling for a scheme that allows for the employment of domestic workers by Hong Kong and Macau residents living in Hengqin.
They are also calling on the government to legalize designated domestic agencies to facilitate the employment of domestic helpers from the Philippines in accordance with the law.
The agencies can help domestic workers obtain legal work visas, “maximizing the satisfaction of the living needs of Macau residents and creating favorable conditions that are convenient for Macau residents to live and work.”
Meanwhile, the representatives said that the Macau New Neighbourhood and Hengqin comprehensive livelihood project built in Hengqin will be completed and come into operation in the first half of 2023.
There will be more than 4,000 Macau families living in Hengqin. At present, mainland policy on foreign domestic workers is not fully liberalized.
In Macau, bringing in foreign domestic workers is still not an option despite the shortage of such workers in the region.
Authorities have reiterated that the foreign domestic workers favored by employers in Macau are mostly from high-risk countries and that bringing them in to work in communities in Macau would pose high risks.
