A mobile app for matching domestic workers and employers has attracted 20,000 members and successfully paired at least 60 of them in Hong Kong since it was launched in September.
Two students from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology created the app, which shares data and information among domestic workers, employers and employment agencies for free, Wen Wei Po reported.
Domestic workers can upload their information on the platform called “MamaHelpers” so prospective employers to contact them directly.
To hire a domestic worker via the platform, employers need to pay HK$1,429 (US$183) for the paperwork on contract renewal, plus HK$1,598 for local direct hiring or finding a worker who has finished a work contract.
The charges are about half the market price, So Tze-yan, one of the founders, said. Hiring people from overseas costs about HK$5,200.
Eight employment agencies are included as some employers want the agency to help filter candidates to save time for hiring. Charges depend on the agency.
Leung Yat-yin, co-founder of the platform, said they are building a partnership with training schools in the Philippines and Indonesia, but those maids will need to register their real names on the platform by the end of this year to ensure the authenticity of the information that they post, Apple Daily reported.
All information will be encrypted, Leung added.
Shiella Estrada, chairperson of the Progressive Labour Union of Domestic Workers, said some maids had received nuisance calls after installing a similar app, adding that she worried about personal information being “leaked”, Ming Pao Daily reported.
We’re we can find the platform for mamahelpers to be registered