Latest news with #EnhancedSupplementaryLabourScheme
RTHK
3 days ago
- Business
- RTHK
Have confidence in HK's resilient economy: Chris Sun
Have confidence in HK's resilient economy: Chris Sun Chris Sun says the public should have confidence in the SAR's economy. File Photo: RTHK Labour Secretary Chris Sun on Wednesday said the public should remain confident about Hong Kong's economy, even though the jobless rate edged up 0.1 percentage points to 3.5 percent between March and May. The minister told an RTHK radio programme that the SAR is undergoing economic restructuring, and sectors such as catering and retail are struggling more than others. Sun said even though he expects the economy to be more uncertain due to the geopolitical situation, he is hopeful for the medium to long run. "If we are going to look at it in a medium-to-long-term comparison, 3.5 percent is similar to the average figure of the past 20 years," he said. "So everyone should be confident about the resilience of Hong Kong's economy." Sun said the 25,000 workers brought into the territory from elsewhere under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme have only a minimal impact on the city's unemployment rate as they account for less than one percent of the total labour force. The labour chief added that checks regarding imported workers will be carried out at catering firms after complaints from locals who lost their jobs. "Most of these 38 reports were filed in recent weeks. Our investigations take time because we have to be fair to employers. If the reports are proved to be true, we will take action," he said. "Reports from the catering sector accounted for the were 24 cases. Therefore, our inspection and checks will focus more on the catering sector." Sun said that to enhance transparency, the Labour Department has started publicising the names of firms seeking to bring in workers from elsewhere, being as the companies first have to carry out a four-week local recruitment process.
RTHK
4 days ago
- Business
- RTHK
Locals get priority with imported labour curbs
Locals get priority with imported labour curbs The Labour Department says the aim is to ensure employment priority is accorded to locals. File photo: RTHK Local employers can only apply for imported labour once every six months starting on Tuesday, the Labour Department announced as part of an attempt to safeguard employment priority for locals. To ensure that employers would not replace locals with imported labour, it also launched an online complaints form on its webpage for the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme for them to report violations. Officers will carry out a special inspection campaign to check whether companies that have hired imported workers are in compliance with the government requirement on maintaining a 2:1 ratio between local and imported workers. The government stipulates that employers applying to bring in imported workers must try and recruit locally first as part of its effort to give priority to locals. Starting on Tuesday, the department will display the names of applicant companies when publishing job vacancies on its website. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun told RTHK that the authorities wish to provide more information for local job applicants. 'Jobseekers are often not aware when recruitment drives are launched because employers want imported labour unless they call the companies one by one, which can be troublesome,' he said. "So we want to make this information public." Sun also said some employers have been applying to hire imported workers many times over six-month spans. Filing such applications too frequently, he said, is not appropriate and employers should be more careful in their recruitment plans.
HKFP
13-06-2025
- Business
- HKFP
Call hotline to report employers suspected of replacing local staff with imported workers
The Hong Kong government has urged people to call a hotline if they suspect employers are replacing local employees with imported workers amid ongoing complaints about the city's non-local labour schemes. According to local media reports, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said on Thursday that unions and workers should report to the hotline 2150 6363 if they suspected employers had laid off local staff to hire imported workers. He added that the hotline was set up specifically to receive reports related to imported labour. However, upon checking by HKFP, the number is listed as the general enquiry line for the imported labour schemes. HKFP has contacted the Labour Department for comment. 'When rolling out the imported labour schemes, we have clearly stated that if employers violate relevant regulations, administrative sanctions, such as withdrawal of the imported worker quota, will be imposed, ' Sun said in Cantonese. According to regulations of the imported labour schemes, employers who apply to hire one imported worker should have hired at least two residents. He added that authorities would also conduct inspections and random checks to ensure that employers meet the 'two-to-one requirement.' Sun's remarks come amid rising unemployment in the city and ongoing complaints about non-local workers replacing local staff after the government relaxed rules on hiring non-local labour. Complaints from local workers Hong Kong expanded a series of imported labour schemes two years ago, citing a labour shortage. In June 2023, the government increased the quota for non-local workers in the construction and transport industries and residential care homes. In September 2023, it launched the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS), which permits non-local hires without quota limits. The ESLS, which is set to end in September this year, allows Hong Kong employers to import workers for 26 types of jobs that were previously only open to local residents, such as cashiers, hair stylists, sales assistants, and waiters. As of the end of March, the city had imported more than 54,000 non-local workers under the ESLS. Among them, more than 8,900 non-locals worked as waiters – the most popular job taken up by imported workers – followed by junior cooks, according to the Labour and Welfare Bureau. Meanwhile, more than 10,970 non-local workers were granted permits to work in Hong Kong's construction sector from September 2023 to March this year, according to the government's response to lawmaker Stanley Ng. The Eating Establishment Employees General Union said in April that over 200 employees reported being fired and replaced by non-local workers employed through the ESLS. Over 80 per cent of construction workers reported that their jobs had been 'affected' by the non-local labour scheme, according to a survey published by the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union in October last year. Last month, Sun defended the schemes. At that time, he suggested that local workers and unions file a report with the Labour Department should they suspect an employer 'has replaced local employees with imported workers.'
HKFP
21-05-2025
- Business
- HKFP
Hong Kong labour chief defends imported labour schemes after unemployment rate rises
The Hong Kong labour minister has defended the government's schemes to import non-local workers following criticism that the programmes have led to a rising unemployment rate in the city. 'I have noticed that recent comments have linked the unemployment situation in certain industries to imported labour. I must emphasise that the government's manpower policy has always prioritised local workers,' Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said in a Chinese-language Facebook post on Tuesday. Sun's statement comes after the city recorded higher unemployment and underemployment rates – a record high since early 2023. Hong Kong's unemployment rate for the February-April period rose to 3.4 per cent, an increase of 0.2 percentage points compared with the January-March rate, according to the Census and Statistics Department's figures released on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the underemployment rate for the February-April period increased to 1.3 per cent, also a 0.2 percentage point rise compared with the January-March rate. Sun suggested that local workers and unions file a report with the Labour Department should they suspect an employer 'has replaced local employees with imported workers.' He added, 'I reiterate that employers cannot replace existing local employees with imported labour. If layoffs are necessary, employers should first reduce imported workers.' Chau Siu-chung, a pro-establishment lawmaker for the labour sector, wrote on Facebook on Tuesday that sectors such as catering and construction, which allow imported workers, had experienced a 'significant rise' in unemployment rates. Unemployment in both the construction and catering sectors from February to April has risen to 5.7 per cent, much higher than the general unemployment rate, he said, citing the government's data. 'On one hand, there is a large influx of foreign labour, on the other hand, more and more locals are becoming unemployed. This situation is concerning,' Chau said in the Chinese-language post. He also wrote that some employers fired local employees soon after hiring imported workers. The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU), a pro-establishment political party, also said that sectors eligible for non-local hires had reported a significant increase in unemployment rates. It urged the government to review various imported labour programmes, especially the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS), which permits non-local hires without quota limits. Expanded schemes Hong Kong expanded a series of imported labour schemes two years ago, citing a labour shortage. In June 2023, the government increased the quota for non-local workers in the construction and transport industries and residential care homes. In September 2023, the ESLS was launched. The scheme, which is set to end in September, allows Hong Kong employers to import workers for 26 types of jobs that were previously only open to local residents, such as cashiers, hair stylists, sales assistants, and waiters. As of the end of March, the city has imported more than 54,000 non-local workers under ESLS. Among them, more than 8,900 non-local workers worked as waiters – the most popular job taken up by imported workers – followed by junior cooks, according to the Labour and Welfare Bureau.
HKFP
28-04-2025
- Business
- HKFP
Suspend labour import scheme, women workers' group urges gov't ahead of Labour Day
A Hong Kong women workers' group has called on the government to suspend the city's 'enhanced' labour import scheme, saying it has negatively affected employees' working conditions. Around 15 members of the Hong Kong Women Workers' Association (HKWWA) unfurled a banner and held signs outside the Central Government Offices (CGO) on Sunday, ahead of the annual Labour Day on May 1. The banner read: 'There are many defects in labour protection' and 'Government policies are not the right fit.' A government representative later met the group outside the CGO complex to receive their petition. The group said in a statement that the government's two-year expended labour import scheme, which was launched in September 2023, had caused employers to lose interest in improving working conditions. 'Currently, the easy importation of non-local labour means that local employers have no motivation to improve conditions to attract workers, raise wages, or enhance occupational health and safety,' the Chinese-language statement read. The Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme allows Hong Kong employers to bring in non-local workers for 26 types of jobs that were previously only open to local residents – including cashiers, hair stylists, sales assistants, and waiters – as well as unskilled or low-skilled posts such as cleaners, dishwashers, and security guards. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun told the Legislative Council on April 16 that the government had approved a total of 54,278 non-local workers – mostly from mainland China – between September 2023 and March 2025. Among them, 8,971 people took up positions as waiters and waitresses, followed by 6,172 individuals hired as junior cooks. The HKWWA said on Sunday that it was 'ironic' that Hong Kong allowed more non-local workers to take up jobs in the food and beverage and retail sectors amid the industries' downturn. Some cleaners were dismissed due to their age in recent years, while around 2,500 workers were imported from elsewhere for this role, they added. They urged the government to formulate policies to better protect local low-skilled labour, saying such workers have 'low bargaining power' because they are seen as easily replaceable. On Thursday, a catering labour union asked the government after finding that more than 200 local employees reported being replaced by imported workers. The HKWWA also called on the government to consider adopting a living wage of HK$61.50 per hour, instead of a minimum wage, because the latter does not reflect a 'reasonable return' for workers. Hong Kong is set to raise the statutory hourly minimum wage from HK$40 to HK$42.10 in May. However, the new minimum wage still fails to 'uphold workers' dignity' in their daily lives, the group said, pointing out that it would only lead to a monthly wage of HK$10,158, assuming the minimum wage worker works full-time. The government should re-evaluate the minimum pay calculation mechanism, so that workers can keep up with inflation and ensure their income is higher than that of those who receive Comprehensive Social Security Assistance, the HKWWA said. Implementing a living wage, which is calculated based on the cost of living in Hong Kong, can allow workers to support themselves and one non-working family member, the group said. Workers 'can afford a balanced diet, maintain a social life, and save for unexpected events,' the HKWWA said. Hong Kong first introduced the statutory minimum wage in 2011. It was last adjusted in 2023 after a four-year freeze.
