Hong Kong: The most Attractive Destination for Filipino Women Migrant Domestic Workers

Abstract

The paper aims to explore and analyze patterns of outward migratory flows of Filipino women to Hong Kong for working as domestic worker. The data is taken from the official records of The Philippines Overseas Employment Administration for the period from 2001 to 2009. The paper explored the patterns of global, regional and country wise flows of Filipino women migrant domestic workers. The East Asian region seems to be the second most attractive region for these women domestic workers. But Hong Kong appears to be the most attractive destination for them on global and country wise analysis. Hong Kong receives an incomparable number of the women domestic workers from the Philippines (i.e. 86.5%) than any other country in East Asian region during the period studied. The Filipino women moving to Hong Kong comprises 21% to 48% of the total Filipino women migrant domestic workers leaving country to move all around the world. They make 6.8% of total Filipino labor migrants, 11% of total Filipino women labor migrants, 30% of total Filipino migrant domestic workers, and 31.4% of total Filipino women migrant domestic workers. In terms of the Filipino domestic workers moving to Hong Kong, these women comprise 98% of total Filipino migrant domestic workers of both gender moved to Hong Kong and 99.75% of the total Filipino women labor migrant heading to Hong Kong during the period of study. The data analysis shows that Hong Kong is the most attractive destination for Filipino women migrant domestic workers around the world.