HK to pilot foreign domestic carers with higher pay

Foreign domestic carers could earn 10 to 20 percent more than existing helpers under a new pilot scheme for elderly care, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said on Friday. The initiative, announced in the Policy Address delivered on Wednesday, will allow carers with advanced training and experience in elderly care to enter Hong Kong on a pilot basis to look after elderly people living at home. It will be launched next year and modelled on the existing regime for admitting foreign domestic helpers. Speaking at a press conference, Sun cited Hong Kong’s ageing population and growing demand from employers for more capable helpers to care for elderly relatives. "It gives the public a choice. If you only need a foreign domestic helper, then you continue to hire in the foreign domestic helper market," he said. "But if you need someone with high ability, who can be certified and can provide elderly care services, you can pay a bit more to hire a foreign domestic carer." Sun said the carers would receive certified elderly-care training that the government intends to be broadly equivalent to the level of a health worker in a residential care home. Applicants would need at least three years of experience...