Merry Christmas! We hope this festive season will bring good luck and good health to you and your family.

Our hearts are full of gratitude to all the employers, domestic workers, and community members who continually support us.

Thank you for trusting us by choosing Fair Agency. We look forward to working with you and guiding you through domestic helper hiring and management.

Stay safe and warm this joyous season! 

Warmest wishes,

the Fair Agency team

2022 Statutory Holidays

An additional statutory holiday has been added for next year, so there will be a total of 13 statutory holidays in 2022. Employers are required by law to give all statutory holidays off. If a statutory holiday falls on a domestic helper’s rest day, she must be given that day off and the following day.

The 13 statutory holidays for 2022 are:

• The first day of January: Saturday 1 January 

• Lunar New Year’s Day: Tuesday 1 February

• The second day of Lunar New Year: Wednesday 2 February

• The third day of Lunar New Year: Thursday 3 February

• Ching Ming Festival: Tuesday 5 April

• Labour Day: Sunday 1 May

• The Birthday of the Buddha: Sunday 8 May

• Tuen Ng Festival: Friday 3 June

• Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day: Friday 1 July

• The second day following the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival: Monday 12 September

• National Day: Saturday 1 October

• Chung Yeung Festival: Tuesday 4 October 

• Chinese Winter Solstice Festival or Christmas Day (at the option of the employer): Thursday 22 December or Sunday 25 December

Download our free printable PDF calendar. Plan ahead for 2022 and you can use the calendar to make records of the leave that your domestic worker takes. 

Travel & Quarantine Hotel Arrangements

Will your helper be travelling home over the holiday season? Remember to arrange your helper’s quarantine hotel in advance before they leave Hong Kong, as getting spaces is quite challenging. If your domestic helper was fully vaccinated in Hong Kong, they can quarantine at a Designated Quarantine Hotel to undergo compulsory quarantine, while others who received their vaccine outside of Hong Kong must quarantine at a Designated Quarantine Facility. Please read: Can domestic helpers from the Philippines and Indonesia travel to Hong Kong?

Overseas Employment Certificate

If your worker is planning to travel back home to the Philippines over the holidays, she needs to apply for an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) or exemption. The OEC is an exit clearance document. It is proof that the government allows the worker to migrate and domestic workers cannot leave the Philippines legally without it. Your helper would need to obtain an OEC by herself so she could exit the Philippines and return to Hong Kong.  Domestic helpers need to register their applications for OECs online and use the online system to make appointments. Remind your helper and read our handy guide on how to apply for OEC here.

Upskilling for the New Year

There are a number of great courses available for domestic workers for free or at a low cost. Let your helper learn new skills for the new year, check out the list of exciting courses that are available here.

Preparing for Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year will be on February 1, 2022 so preparations for the new year will start by mid-January. Many families will rely on the support of domestic helpers leading up to and during that week due to the customs of doing major house-cleaning and multiple family functions.

Because it’s a holiday, many domestic helpers will have special activities and outings planned. So employers should give advance notice, if they will require their domestic helper to work through the statutory holidays. Domestic helpers are entitled to have all statutory holidays off and should be compensated with alternate days off within 60 days if they are required to work through them. We recommend giving as much notice as possible. 

Holiday Office Opening Hours 

Our offices in Sheung Wan and Tsuen Wan will be closed on the following dates and time:                                                                                          

• Christmas Eve - Friday, December 24 (all-day)

• Christmas Day - Saturday, December 25 (all-day)

• Boxing Day - Sunday, December 26 (all-day)

• The first weekday after Christmas Day - Monday, December 27 (all-day)

• New Year's Eve - Friday, December 31 (Closing at 3pm)

• First Day of January - Saturday, January 1, 2022 (all-day)

• Full Placement - For Employers just starting the hiring search
• Direct Hire: For Employers who already found someone they'd like to hire
• Contract Renewal: For Employers who want to continue working with their worker for another 2 year contract period
• Visa Extension: Our visa extension service is HK$800, or you can do this yourself with our detailed guide.