Hong Kong to import workers from 26 more job categories including teller, hair stylist

The government will begin to allow employers to import laborers to work in over 20 specific job categories, including cashier and waiter, as it seeks to relieve the labor shortage across different sectors besides the construction and transportation industries.

Starting next Monday (Sep 4), the general exclusion of 26 job categories - including teller, hair stylist, sales representative, waiter, delivery worker, warehouse keeper, etc. - under the Supplementary Labour Scheme (SLS) would be lifted for two years.

The Labour Department will launch a scheme next week and begin accepting employers' applications for labor importation over the specific job categories. The Department will also facilitate the procedures for processing applications and refine the workflow of consultation with the Labour Advisory Board (LAB).

"The other key requirements of the SLS, including the four-week local recruitment and consultation with the LAB for each screened-in application, will remain unchanged," a spokesperson for the Labour Department said.

Five briefings will be organized for the employers next month to explain the information needed for submitting applications, points-to-note, and the flow of applications.

Interested employers can submit the application forms and the required documents from September 4. The processing of an application will be completed within three months after it passes the screening under the SLS.