Taking cue from its name, the Employees Retraining Board (ERB) is an agency that provides funding and coordinates with various training bodies in offering training courses as part of its vision to churn out a flexible, high quality labor force for Hong Kong’s knowledge-based economy. Courses covered include finance, insurance, hotel, tourism and many others.

So far the program has produced thousands of trainees in housekeeping and child care. Since these courses were offered, the ERB has been able to show 120,000 graduates, a number so big that hiring foreign domestic helpers is not necessary if most graduates take up related jobs. Yet, despite the big number, more than half of job requests for domestic housekeeping duties to ERB over the past three years have not been fulfilled. If  the lack of demand abroad is understandably the reason many qualified nurses from the Philippines end up working in other industries, Hong Kong’s case is perplexing. Despite the huge number of graduates, posts remain unfilled. Is it because during the course of the training, participants realize how difficult, mundane or degrading the job is? Or maybe because ERB is simply churning out low quality graduates unfit or unwilling to do the real job?

It is known that the levy collected from foreign domestic helpers – currently suspended – is used to finance the Employees Retraining Fund. That means we can say domestic helpers provide funding for the training of groups that may eventually drive them out of their jobs. But even before we conclude there was a threat to job security among Filipino and Indonesian household helpers, the existence of such local competition is even questionable. As a matter of fact, some course participants are housewives who have no intention of taking jobs but are only there to kill time and meet new friends while making money. Participants receive subsidies ranging from HK$1,500 to HK$2,000 (US$193-258). Another possible reason for the low turnout is that many participants live in the New Territories, and job locations are often found in Hong Kong island, a costly arrangement especially if the pegged hourly rate is just HK$50 (US$6.50) with no transport subsidy.

In a way this fraudulent arrangement is for the maids, as many locals who thought about a domestic helper or nanny job thought against pursuing the job and filling vacancies. Just take the money and leave. But still, to educate a local and pay her money at the expense of a hard-working, poorly paid maid is a ridiculous idea. The performance of the ERB should be reviewed to ensure it meets its vision of delivering high quality labor force. Otherwise, dissolve this agency and let domestic helpers keep their money.