Hong Kong is expected to start a pilot program to import foreign domestic carers next year to take care of the city’s growing elderly population, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said on Sunday.

Speaking on a TVB program, Sun said the pilot program, expected to start in the second half of 2027, will annually import in the initial phase hundreds of carers with advanced training and experience in elderly care.

Foreign domestic helpers in the city who wish to join must return to their countries of origin, undergo at least 150 hours of training, and secure accreditation before they apply, he said.

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Successful applicants will be offered a salary 10 to 20 percent higher than the standard rates for the special administrative region’s foreign domestic helpers, he added.

The HKSAR government on Friday raised the minimum wage of foreign domestic workers by 2.35 percent to HK$5,220 ($665.22) a month, while their food allowance, to be given in lieu of free food, remained unchanged at HK$1,236.

The new minimum wage applies to all work contracts signed on or after Oct 3. Sun said the SAR has around 380,000 foreign domestic helpers.

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The pilot program was proposed in the 2026 Policy Address, which also pledged to double the service capacity of Elderly Health Centres for health assessments and cut the maximum waiting time by two-thirds.

According to HKSAR government estimates, people aged 65 and above in Hong Kong will increase to 2.74 million by 2046, accounting for more than one-third of the city’s total population.