Halt labour imports for jobs in Hong Kong with high jobless rate, John Lee urged

Hong Kong authorities have been urged to set up a mechanism to suspend the importation of labour for certain jobs when their unemployment rate hits a threshold, after the city leader announced tighter importing rules for only two catering roles.

The appeal was made by a construction workers’ union and a lawmaker on Thursday, after Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced the new rules on the importation of waiters and junior cooks in his policy speech on Wednesday.

Lee told lawmakers on Thursday in a Legislative Council meeting on the policy blueprint that authorities would monitor the situation and adapt to local circumstances.

Starting from Thursday, for each waiter or junior cook that an employer applies to bring in from outside the city under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme, it must already employ at least two local full-time workers in the same roles.

Employers must also extend the local recruitment period to six weeks, up from four weeks, and attend an on-site job fair organised by the Labour Department once a week during that time.

Lawmaker Edward Leung Hei noted the high unemployment rates in the catering and construction sectors and suggested the government introduce a suspension mechanism for the importation of labour.