Thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Taiwan and Hongkong stand to benefit from new wage orders starting this fourth quarter 2023 to January 2024.
We thank Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor and the Hongkong Special Administrative Region Labor Department respectively for enacting wage legislation that recognizes the work of our OFWs and their contribution to the economic development of their host countries.
The Taiwan Ministry of Labor’s (MOL) new wage order mandates a 4.05 percent increase in the monthly minimum salary from NT$26,400 (P46,378.70) to NT$27,470 (P48,223.43). The same wage order also increases the minimum hourly wage by NT$7 from NT$168 (P295.14) to NT$183 (P321.48).
The Ministry of Labor reports 151,562 Filipinos were working in Taiwan as of October 2023. Of these, 123,768 who work in the manufacturing sector stand to benefit from the new wage order once it takes effect on January 1. The DMW projects another 17,721 workers in this category to be hired by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, OFWs working as foreign domestic helpers (FDH) or household service workers (HSWs) in Hongkong will benefit from similar wage legislation set by Hongkong’s Labor Department.
OFWs working as FDHs will receive a minimum allowable wage (MAW) of HK$4,870 or P38,010.35. This is a HK$140 increase from the previous rate of HK$4,730 or P36,917.65.
The Hongkong wage order also mandates an adjustment in the allowable food allowance for FDHs, raising it to HK$1,236 or P9,649.98 from the previous rate of HK$1,196 or P9,334.78.
These wage increases in Hongkong shall be applicable only to FDH contracts signed on or after 30 September 2023.
The Migrant Workers Office in Hongkong (MWO-HK) reports that as of August 2023, there were 196,364 OFWs working as HSWs or FDHs in Hongkong. MWO-HK estimates some 40,000 HSWs representing new hires and those with renewed contracts will directly benefit from the new wage legislation. Additionally, by January 2024, MWO-HK estimates there will be around 205,000 Filipino HSWs working in Hongkong.