A total of 360 complaints have been lodged since the launch of the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme two years ago, resulting in administrative sanctions for 11 employers found to be in violation of the rules, said Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han.
Sun detailed that three of these cases are from the food and beverage sector. This includes an ongoing investigation into a restaurant employer suspected of dismissing local workers after bringing in foreign labour.
The involved employer could face a two-year ban from the scheme if the complaint proved to be true, Sun said.
In a move to prioritize local hiring, Sun announced that starting in September, restaurant employers seeking to hire waiters and junior cooks must conduct on-site recruitment at the Labour Department’s Job Centres. Appointments will be scheduled based on the locations of the vacancies.
Additionally, employers will be mandated to conduct at least one three-hour recruitment session each week during a mandatory four-week local hiring period. Failure to attend these sessions will result in their applications for the scheme not being processed.
Given the strong administrative sanctions for violations of the Employment Ordinance, Sun indicated that the government is considering publicly naming offending employers, depending on the severity of the violations and the public interest.
The report comes amid a rising unemployment rate, which now stands at 3.7 percent overall and 6.4 percent within the food and beverage industry. In light of these figures, labour groups are calling for a suspension of foreign labour imports.
In response, Sun emphasized the need for a "dynamic" approach to manage the employment situation.
He highlighted recent efforts to enhance the recruitment of waiters and junior chefs but noted that labour shortages persist in other roles, such as dishwashers, despite the arrival of approximately 1,600 new recruits.
While acknowledging public concerns, Sun urged understanding for employers who are struggling with recruitment, maintaining that they should be permitted to hire foreign labour to address genuine shortages.
