"Indonesia’s scrapping of placement fees for migrant workers welcomed – except by agencies, employers", 27 September 2020

Indonesian migrant workers will no longer be required to pay their own placement and training fees under new regulations being introduced by Jakarta in a move that has been welcomed by workers and advocates alike, but that has Hong Kong employment agencies arguing it will make hiring domestic helpers from the country too expensive.

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“The aim is to protect Indonesian migrant workers from problems caused by their inability to afford the high cost of placement fees. Migrant workers often deal with financial problems like heavy debts in their effort to pay placement fees, which puts them in a helpless situation,” said a spokesman for the Indonesian consulate in Hong Kong.

The list of migrant workers who will no longer need to bear placement costs includes, among others, domestic workers, carers, chefs and seafarers on fishing vessels.

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Teresa Liu Tsui-lan, chairwoman of the Association of Hong Kong Manpower Agencies, said the new regulations would make the hiring of domestic workers from Indonesia more difficult.

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Liu said that workers should be willing to cover the costs of finding a job in cities like Hong Kong. “You need to get training and show you are qualified to work in Hong Kong. Of course you have to pay certain fees. It’s not fair for the employer to pay for everything,” she said.

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