| Part of a series on |
| Ethnicity in Hong Kong |
|---|
|
  | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 30,000 (2011 Census) | |
| Religion | |
| Theravada Buddhism [1] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Thai people |
Thais in Hong Kong form one of the smaller populations of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong, and a minor portion of the worldwide Thai diaspora.
Beginning in the 1970s, there was a trend for some Hong Kong men to marry Thai women living in Kowloon City. [2] Yet their reason for immigration is not only for marriage. Historically, Thailand has had both high women’s workforce participation and a history of migration. It is common for Thais to engage in migration, seeking specialised skills, better land or enhanced household resources. Also, in the 1990s the labour demand in the Asia region increased for the political situation of Asian region like Hong Kong was seen as “safer” than the Middle East so more women migrated here to work. [3] Thai Chinese also emigrated to Hong Kong in the 1980s and 1990s. [4]
According to the Hong Kong census, Thais are one of the few ethnic minority groups in Hong Kong whose population has fallen in the past decade. The 2001 census recorded 14,342, or about 4.2% of the total non-Chinese population of 343,950. [5] The 2006 Hong Kong by-census reported 11,900, or 3.5% of the total non-Chinese population of 342,198. [6] The 2011 Hong Kong census recorded 11,213 Thais making up around 2.5% of the total non-Chinese population of 451,183. [5]
Thai politicians regularly fly to Hong Kong to meet with exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. [7]
According to the 2006 Census report, the Thai working force in Hong Kong forms about 7,414 people out the whole Thai population of 11,900 in Hong Kong. 71.9% of the working force consists of domestic helpers, whose median income is $4,000. [6] Due to the rapid growth of Thailand's economy, labor costs for Thais have increased significantly and enhanced job opportunities back home meant that few Thais went overseas as domestic helpers. [8] Consequently, the majority of households in Hong Kong employs domestic helpers from countries with cheaper wages such as the Philippines and Indonesia. [9] The minimum wage for domestic helpers in Hong Kong is HKD3,270 as of 2005 [update] , adjusted downwards from HKD3,670; an additional levy on the salary is supposed to be paid by the employer, but the Thai Ministry of Labour reported in 2005 that employers often forced the employee to pay this levy instead. [10]
Other common professions include cleaners, waiters/waitresses, hairdressers, and bank officers. [11] A minority of Thais in Hong Kong, such as the Sophonpanich family, Kanjanapas family and Chearavanont family [12] are businesspeople or investors; a large proportion of Thailand's outward investment in newly industrialised economies goes to Hong Kong. Direct investment by Thais in Hong Kong peaked in 1996 and then fell due to the 1997 East Asian financial crisis. [13]
The majority of Thais in Hong Kong are adherents of Theravada Buddhism. In Hong Kong, there are four Thai Buddhist temples altogether and they are located in Ngau Tam Mei of Yuen Long, Shun Shan San Tsuen of Shap Pat Heung, Ha Pak Nai of Tuen Mun and Tai Po Tai Wo. [14] Thais celebrate their new year on 13 to 15 April in the "Songkran Festival". According to the Thai calendar, 13 April is the end of the old year while 15 April is the beginning of a new year. 14 April is usually regarded as the preparation for the new coming year. [15] On this festival, there would be celebration by splashing water to each other. It signifies the washing-away of bad luck and welcoming good luck, prospects and happiness. They also put some bath powder on their face, which traditionally means protecting their skin. [14] On the Sunday that is nearest to Songkran Festival, some of them will visit the temple for merit-making while a majority of Thai people living in Kowloon City process through Tak Ku Ling Road, proceed along the Kai Tak Road and Lung Kong Road and continuously splash water for an hour.
Thai Regional Alliance (TRA) is an organisation which helps Thai foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong to gain rights and to educate them about workers’ situation in both Hong Kong and Thailand (e.g. providing welfare services such as counselling and legal support). It links up with different Thai groups, NGOs and individuals both in Thailand and in Hong Kong and also in other parts of the world. The TRA is one of the founders and remains to be an active member of the Asian Migrant’s Coordinating Body (AMCB) and has been greatly involved in many coalition’s campaigns and activities (e.g. helping to gain minimum allowable wage, the suspension of the levy). By convincing Thai migrant workers to join and be active in their campaigns, TRA has enhanced the coherence between them and the foreign labour campaigns in Hong Kong to a certain extent. [16]
Besides taking part in labour movements, TRA aims at enhancing the Thai community spirit and promotes friendship in Hong Kong. To ally the Thai migrant groups, TRA organises functions regularly, for instance, the celebration of SongKran Festival in April annually. Moreover, to assist Thais to obtain better job and employment opportunities, the TRA conducts language courses (English and Cantonese) for them, especially for domestic helpers. In 2008, there were around 120 people who attended the English class while 13 people went to the Cantonese class. [17] They also conduct Thai massage workshops for Thai workers. Their objective is to help migrant workers with skills for their use back to Thailand. Many domestic helpers who have children at their employers’ homes would also like to join the computer basic workshops too.
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Hong Kong, including population density, ethnicity, education level, the health of the populace, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population.
The demographics of China demonstrate a huge population with a relatively small youth component, partially a result of China's one-child policy. China's population reached 1 billion in late 1981.
A migrant worker is a person who migrates within a home country or outside it to pursue work. Migrant workers usually do not have the intention to stay permanently in the country or region in which they work.
This article gives detailed information on the employment situation in Hong Kong.
Filipinos constitute the largest ethnic minority in Hong Kong, numbering approximately 130,000, many of whom work as foreign domestic helpers. The Eastern District has the highest concentration of Filipino residents in Hong Kong, with 3.24% of the district's population being of Filipino descent.
The Basic Law of Hong Kong states that English and Chinese are the two official languages of Hong Kong. During the British colonial era, English was the sole official language until 1978 but has remained a strong second language in Hong Kong. As the majority of the population in Hong Kong are descendants of migrants from China's Canton Province, the vast majority speak standard Cantonese or other Yue Chinese varieties as a first language, with smaller numbers of speakers of Hakka Language or the Teochew dialect of Southern Min. In addition, immigrants and expatriates from the West and other Asian countries have contributed much to Hong Kong's linguistic and demographic diversity. The geographical element of this diversity can be seen in the Hong Kong Language Maps, which shows oral languages from the 2011 Census, and oral and written languages from the 2016 Census. Statistics for the 27 self-reported spoken languages/dialects reported in the 2011 Census, can be found in the report: Language Use, Proficiency and Attitudes in Hong Kong.
Migrant domestic workers are, according to the International Labour Organization’s Convention No. 189 and the International Organization for Migration, any persons "moving to another country or region to better their material or social conditions and improve the prospect for themselves or their family," engaged in a work relationship performing "in or for a household or households." Domestic work itself can cover a "wide range of tasks and services that vary from country to country and that can be different depending on the age, gender, ethnic background and migration status of the workers concerned." These particular workers have been identified by some academics as situated within "the rapid growth of paid domestic labor, the feminization of transnational migration, and the development of new public spheres." Prominent discussions on the topic include the status of these workers, reasons behind the pursue in this labour, recruitment and employment practices in the field, and various measures being undertaken to change the conditions of domestic work among migrants.
Indonesians in Hong Kong, numbering 102,100, form the second-largest ethnic minority group in the territory, behind Filipinos. Most Indonesians coming to Hong Kong today are those who arrive under limited-term contracts for employment as foreign domestic helpers. The Hong Kong Immigration Department allows the Indonesian consulate to force Indonesian domestic helpers to use employment agencies. Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong comprise 2.4% of all overseas Indonesian workers. Among the Indonesian population is a group of Chinese Indonesians, many of them finding refuge in Hong Kong after the civil persecution of them.
Foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong are domestic workers employed by Hongkongers, typically families. Comprising five percent of Hong Kong's population, about 98.5% of them are women. In 2019, there were 400,000 foreign domestic helpers in the territory. Required by law to live in their employer's residence, they perform household tasks such as cooking, serving, cleaning, dishwashing and child care.
Immigration to Singapore is the process by which people migrate to Singapore for the purpose of residing there—and where a majority go on to become permanent residents and Singaporean citizens. Singapore is an attractive destination especially in the region as it is a country with a strong currency that offers high living standards, including in education, work, wages and safety as well as an overall far higher quality of life compared to its neighbours. High-net-worth or skilled immigrants worldwide are also attracted to Singapore's low tax rates and ease of doing business.
Hongkongers, also known as Hong Kongers, Hong Kongese, Hongkongese, Hong Kong citizens and Hong Kong people, are demonyms that typically refers to residents of the territory of Hong Kong; although may also refer to others who were born and/or raised in the territory.
There is a moderately medium sized ethnic minority population of Nepalese people in Hong Kong, forming roughly 4% of the total ethnic minorities population. They primarily came to this territory as part of the Gurkha brigade of the British Army in 1960s. After the handover in 1997, their siblings were granted rights of abode in Hong Kong. Hence, majority of the Nepali population of Hong Kong are the children and grandchildren of Gurkha soldiers.
The Minimum Wage OrdinanceCap. 608 is an ordinance enacted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong to introduce a minimum wage in Hong Kong in July 2010. The executive branch proposed a minimum wage of HK$28 (~US$3.61) per hour in November 2010, which the Legislative Council voted to accept after much debate in January 2011. It came into effect on 1 May 2011. Prior to this, there had also been a fixed minimum wage for one specific class of workers, foreign domestic helpers, of HK$3,740/month. The Hong Kong statutory minimum wage for non-domestic workers is HK$37.5 (~US$4.83) per hour, effective 1 May 2019.
Filipino non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Hong Kong were founded by both the Filipinos and the local Chinese who aim to assist and serve the Filipino community. There are mainly three types of Filipino NGOs in Hong Kong: social justice NGOs, recreational NGOs, and religious NGOs.
Women migrant workers from developing countries engage in paid employment in countries where they are not citizens. While women have traditionally been considered companions to their husbands in the migratory process, most adult migrant women today are employed in their own right. In 2017, of the 168 million migrant workers, over 68 million were women. The increase in proportion of women migrant workers since the early twentieth century is often referred to as the "feminization of migration".
Migrant workers in the Gulf Cooperation Council region involves the prevalence of migrant workers in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Together, these six countries form the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), established in 1981. The GCC cooperates on issues related to economy and politics, and the subject of migrant workers constitutes a substantial part of the council's collaboration. All of the GCC countries are dependent on migrant labor to bolster and stimulate economic growth and development, as the GCC countries possess an abundance of capital while the domestic labor capacity is low. Although migrant workers in the Persian Gulf region amount to no more than 10% of all migrants worldwide, they constitute a significant part of the populations of their host countries.
Hong Kong–Indonesia relations are bilateral relations between Hong Kong and Indonesia.
Launched in 2014, Justice Centre Hong Kong is an independent, non-profit human rights organisation that focuses on the protection of refugees and asylum seekers in Hong Kong. Hong Kong has long been a hub of migration and refuge due to wars in the region and Hong Kong’s historical role as a trading and transit entrepôt. There were estimated to be 14,000 refugees in the territory in 2017, and these refugees are in need of extensive legal assistance as the 0.8 substantiation rate is extremely low compared to rates of 25-62% per cent in other developed jurisdictions. Before early 2014 the organisation was known as the Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre (HKRAC), which in 2007 had grown out of the Refugee Advice Unit from another local organisation working with refugees, Christian Action. And spun off by human rights lawyers Jennifer Stone and Raquel Amador, who were the first Directors. In 2012 Aleta Miller became Executive Director, helping HKRAC win the Clifford Chance Foundation Access to Justice Award in 2012, and relaunching the organisation as Justice Centre Hong Kong in 2014. From 2015 the Executive Director was Piya Muqit, who was previously head of policy and advocacy at UNICEF UK. In November 2020 Melanie McLaren was appointed Executive Director.
As the number of foreign domestic workers continues to increase around the world, social movements to protect them have begun. The increase in social movements can be attributed to the rise of globalization, increased flows of migratory workers, and issues arising from the neoliberal management of workers. Repeated complaints and demands by pro-labor movements typically revolving around issues such as minimum wage and insurance coverage can be seen. These demands usually move away from a narrative of labor disputes and begin to encompass a human-rights perspective.
Still Human is a 2018 Hong Kong comedy-drama film directed and written by Oliver Chan in her feature film directorial debut. It stars veteran actor Anthony Wong and Crisel Consunji in her film debut. The film chronicles the relationship between a man using a wheelchair and his Filipina domestic helper. The film had its world premiere at the 15th Hong Kong Asian Film Festival on 6 November 2018 before it was theatrically released on 11 April 2019.
| Asia |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Oceania | ||
| Elsewhere | ||
