The government is investigating three cases involving violations of local employees' rights under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS), according to Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han.
The investigations were launched after authorities received over a hundred complaints related to the ESLS since its introduction in September 2023. The scheme has approved the recruitment of over 50,000 foreign workers to the city.
Speaking on a television program on Sunday, the labor chief revealed that preliminary investigations showed two employers dismissed local employees after recruiting imported labor.
The authorities have also uncovered clear evidence in another case where an employer failed to prioritize a local candidate during recruitment.
Under the ESLS, employers must conduct a four-week local recruitment exercise and accord priority to hiring suitable local workers before applying for imported labor, to safeguard employment opportunities for local workers.
Sun stated that the involved employers have been placed under monitoring, with their eligibility for the scheme suspended.
If violations are confirmed, he said, the employers will be barred from recruiting imported workers for two years, and the permits of the involved workers will be revoked.
Meanwhile, Sun highlighted the long-term need for labor replenishment as the ESLS approaches its review period, stressing that the local workforce has been shrinking and aging since its 2018 peak.
He reiterated that employers must use the scheme fairly, stressing that imported workers should only fill genuine local labor shortages. Employers found replacing local staff with imported workers will face immediate penalties, he warned.
Sun further pointed out that imported workers account for about 1 percent of the total labor force, with the catering industry bringing in around 12,000 foreign workers, representing 5 percent of the sector's workforce.
These figures demonstrate the program serves as a supplementary approach to addressing local labor shortages, he added.
