Most non-white minorities employed in Hong Kong are still paid wages high enough to sustain their families back in their home countries. But there are few legal protections for them. Most labour laws don’t apply to them. Just as an example, the Minimum Wage Ordinance doesn’t apply to domestic workers. They are paid a pittance compared to those who employ them (just a few thousand HKD a month) and cannot survive if they aren’t given the free room and board by those who employ them.
Still, there is a vibrant culture. Just walking down the streets of Sham Shui Po you can see them congregating in the streets, around the Western Union office, or Jollibee on their weekly one day off. There are also places like the Chunking Mansion in Tsim Tsa Tsui, which some people have called a “Kowloon Walled City 2.0”, but that is false; it’s a thriving centre of South Asian culture in Hong Kong. There are probably other places too that I just don’t know of.
Most non-white minorities employed in Hong Kong are still paid wages high enough to sustain their families back in their home countries. But there are few legal protections for them. Most labour laws don’t apply to them. Just as an example, the Minimum Wage Ordinance doesn’t apply to domestic workers. They are paid a pittance compared to those who employ them (just a few thousand HKD a month) and cannot survive if they aren’t given the free room and board by those who employ them.
Still, there is a vibrant culture. Just walking down the streets of Sham Shui Po you can see them congregating in the streets, around the Western Union office, or Jollibee on their weekly one day off. There are also places like the Chunking Mansion in Tsim Tsa Tsui, which some people have called a “Kowloon Walled City 2.0”, but that is false; it’s a thriving centre of South Asian culture in Hong Kong. There are probably other places too that I just don’t know of.