Filipinos & Hong Kong

According to the Hong Kong 2011 Population Census, the total population stands at 7,071,576, consisting of 6,620,393 Chinese and 451,183 ethnic minorities living in Hong Kong, mainly Indonesians, Filipinos, Whites, Indians, Pakistanis, Nepalese, Japanese, Thais, Koreans and other Asians. The Filipino community in Hong Kong has dropped to 133,018 from 142,556 in 2001 but is still one of the biggest ethnic minorities, second only to the 133,377 Indonesians by a tiny margin of 359 people.

They come to Hong Kong for better pay and life style. 90% are Catholics. All of them speak English, which is also their common second language uniting Tagalog and other regional languages. 32% of the Filipinos have been living in Hong Kong for more than 10 years, with a median age of 37.7. Despite that almost 30% of them have attained post-secondary levels or degrees, only 2.2% are currently working in professional careers, with another 94.4% in elementary occupations, and only 238 over all are job-creating employers. Most of the Filipinos are located on Hong Kong Island, at 38.1%, and 37.4% in New Territories while 24.4% in Kowloon.

With Filipinos taking up such a significant proportion of Hong Kong's ethnic minorities, we believe it is definitely worthwhile to probe further for a better understanding of their community and thereby raising public awareness on their issues. Through the years, some Filipinos have decided to chose Hong Kong as their new home, settling down and forming their own families. The off-springs of these new immigrants are of particular interest to our group studies with regard to their self-identification, cultural impact and social integration.

Be it sunny days or freezing evenings, there is always an over-crowding of “Fei Mui”s and other ethnic minorities at hotspots in Central and Tsimshatsui. Is that a reflection of homesickness, segregation, or both?