HK to keep importing workers amid climbing unemployment, as govt says trade-specific shortages persist

Development Secretary Bernadette Linn Hon-ho has defended the government’s continued importation of construction workers, saying that despite a rise in the industry’s unemployment rate, there remain shortages in specific trades that cannot be filled locally.

Latest government figures show that the unemployment rate in the construction sector climbed from 6.9 percent to 7.2 percent. Writing in a newspaper column, Linn said the higher jobless rate was mainly due to a reduction in private-sector projects amid a sluggish property market.

However, she stressed that labor demand varies across different trades and project stages, with some positions still facing acute shortages.

Linn reiterated that the government’s labor importation scheme is designed to “supplement, not replace” local workers, and that priority for employment remains with Hongkongers. She said applications are approved strictly based on market needs.

She noted that in the ninth round of applications, authorities approved 10 cases involving 986 imported workers, all for trades identified as severely short of manpower.

“The number of approved and still-active import quotas under the scheme has continued to fall—from 8,016 in the second quarter of this year to 7,332 in the latest quarter—well below the overall cap of 12,000. This reflects that the scheme is closely aligned with real market conditions and strictly managed to ensure dynamic adjustment.”

Linn said the government expects construction activity to rebound as the economy recovers, particularly in the private sector, and that the long-term outlook for the industry remains “robust and promising.”

She added that the administration would continue to work closely with both the construction and labor sectors to strengthen local training, promote wider use of construction technology, and apply a “precise and targeted” approach to importing foreign labor to address workforce needs.