Employers can only apply for imported workers once every six months under new scheme

Employers can only apply for imported workers once every six months, according to the Labour Department’s newly launched Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS).

To ensure employers will not use imported labor to replace local workers, the Department has also introduced an online complaint form on the ESLS dedicated webpage, allowing local employees to report suspected violations.

Starting today, applications that pass initial screening and undergo a four-week local recruitment process will have their job vacancies posted on the Interactive Employment Service website, with the employer’s name displayed to encourage job seekers to apply.  

The department will conduct special inspections at companies employing imported labor to verify compliance with the 2:1 ratio requirement, or at least two full-time local employees for every imported worker. 

Employers may also be required to submit information on their full-time local employees, imported workers, and the corresponding staffing ratio. Suspected violations will be investigated, and confirmed breaches will result in administrative sanctions.  

A government spokesman emphasized that, to safeguard local workers’ priority in employment, employers applying under the ESLS must conduct open local recruitment, offering wages no lower than the market median monthly wage for a comparable position. 

Approved employers must also sign standard employment contracts with imported workers, paying them at least the median monthly wage to prevent exploitation and protect local job opportunities.  

The scheme prohibits employers from replacing local workers with imported labor. If layoffs are necessary, imported workers should be dismissed first, the department added. 

If sufficient evidence proves violations, the Labour Department stated it will impose sanctions, including revoking approved labor quotas and rejecting further applications from the employer for two years.

(Cheng Wong)