The salary of foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong has increased by HKD90, raising the monthly salary to HKD4,010. Likewise, the food allowance increased by 5.1%, making it HKD920 per month.

However, the salary increase which started to take effect on October 1 for all new contracts failed to draw a positive reaction from the group of workers. Instead, foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong including Filipinos expressed their dissatisfaction over the salary increase.

The Hong Kong helpers' unions protested that the pay hike is only 2.3% and it is way too low compared to the increase of the previous year which is 4.8%.

The group also reasoned out that the new salary is actually only HKD150 a month above the 1998 level. The spokesman for the Asian Migrants' Coordinating Body, Eman Villanueva said that the meager salary increase made them “very disappointed and angry.”

Villanueva said that he had communicated with the Labor Department of Hong Kong to say that the acceptable minimum pay for domestic workers should at least be HKD4,500. He also gave out a warning that it might lead to shortage of helpers as foreign domestic workers might turn to other host countries with better pay.

He said, "I think the shortage will worsen because the wage is not attractive. In Canada, the minimum wage for foreign domestic helpers is the same as for the locals."

He also informed that US States such as New York and California approved a bill that sets the same minimum wage level for locals and to foreign domestic workers.