More domestic workers choosing to leave employers after over two years of ‘lockdown’

A number of domestic workers have opted to go back home for good with many deciding that not seeing their families for over two years is a big price to pay for a minimum wage.

Data from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) shows that the number of domestic workers in the region has declined to 27,100 in 2021, a 13% decrease from 2020 figures that stood at 31,100.

However, it is unknown how many of these workers are stranded in their home countries.

Lawmakers – even former members of the Legislative Assembly – have long called for a scheme to allow local authorities to provide an exemption for the entry of domestic workers, a scheme that would excuse them from the employment law barring non-resident workers from being employees without leaving the city. 

The government announced a surprising measure last week, introducing a plan whereby non-resident Filipino workers will be exempted from entry restrictions  – excusing them from the city’s border closure, which has been in place since March 2020. 

Applicants must fulfill certain conditions, such as the purpose of the request being to take care of an elderly person aged 65 years and over, children aged three years or less, or sick residents.

The application will go through relevant government bureaus such as the Labour Affairs Bureau, the Public Security Police Force and the Health Bureau. The government is set to announce finalized measures on the new scheme today.

However, for some Filipino domestic workers, these measures came a little too late. 

Speaking to the Times, workers who have families have decided to go back home and leave their employers behind – all of which are families with children under the age of five.

Following the government announcement last week, one employer decided to bargain with Jenelyn Blaza, 37, offering a two-month vacation just for her to return.

However, speaking to the Times, Blaza noted that it has been three years since she last saw her children and husband due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A mother of three, she expressed that it is high time to be with her children, who have been entreating her to return home.

“Times have been uncertain. I’ve only waited for my contract to end. It’s difficult for children to grow up without seeing their mother. I know they need me. Teenagers nowadays are a bit tougher to discipline and I still want to be with them while they still listen to me,” she said. 

Another worker, Vilma Itable, who has been working in the city for 25 years, said, “It’s different when you’re not able to see them for three years. I don’t want to regret not giving my son the kind of attention and care he needs just because I have to earn money.”

“Two years of being stuck here is enough for me to decide that it’s about time to go home. We’ll never know when Macau would go back to normal. I’m not risking it,” she said.

Macau has maintained a zero-Covid strategy, following Beijing’s move, which has prompted consistent border closures and only allowing entry from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Also, under such a strategy, two weeks’ quarantine is needed for arrivals from regions that have been affected by Covid-19, despite such arrivals showing a negative Covid-19 test result and being vaccinated with a booster shot. 

However, whether it is sustainable, remains a question.

Another non-resident worker, Ma. Victoria Menguito, is ready to return home after working in the region for 13 years.

She has just recently started working for a family of four, as her former employer moved back to Portugal.

However, with not enough pay, the worker said that it was time to go back home, as she considers that it was no longer worth it to work in Macau.

Although her children are grown-up, with one set to finish college this academic year, Menguito expressed, “The lockdown here in Macau has contributed to my decision to going back home for good.”

“It’s different when I’m able to see them even just for a few days each year. That’s already such a relief to us, especially to us single mothers. From waking up next to them, preparing their meals, to going to church together,” she said. 

“It’s important for us who work abroad to be able to see our families at least once a year for our longing for them to be relieved,” the worker added.

The workers are currently awaiting a repatriation flight back home with no plans of returning. 

However, for Menguito, “If given the chance to come back, I think it will only be when the government would impose favorable laws for domestic workers – such as being provided with basic healthcare.”

She argued that the responsibilities of workers here are significant, as they multitask from doing house chores to cooking, to attending to the needs of their employers’ elderly relatives or children.

On Facebook groups, the Times observed that employers have been on the search of domestic workers, offering monthly salaries of MOP5,500 up to MOP7,500.

Prior to the pandemic, a MOP5,500 offer was considered high and rare as many families were offering only up to MOP4,500, or even MOP3,800.

Progressive Labor Union of Domestic Workers of Macau, Jassy Santos, also expressed that low salaries have long discouraged domestic workers from remaining, with little to no benefits obtained from the government.

The Times is also aware than several Filipino migrant workers in the city have resigned from their jobs as they have found new opportunities in other countries such as Canada with much higher pay, and with the possibility of bringing their families with them.