Illegal labor crackdown: 569 employers arrested last year, up over 10 pc

Hong Kong authorities stepped up enforcement against illegal workers last year, arresting 569 employers for hiring unauthorized labor, an increase of more than 10 percent year on year, the government said.

In a written reply to lawmaker Tam Chun-kwok’s inquiry, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said the government has been closely monitoring labor market conditions and adjusting the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme with flexibility and precision, while intensifying efforts to combat illegal employment to ensure priority for local workers.

According to the reply, the Immigration Department carried out 19,980 enforcement actions against illegal workers last year, about 11 percent more than in 2024. Most of the illegal workers arrested were employed in the catering and renovation sectors.

The Police Force also reported that, over the past three years, 11 illegal workers were arrested for driving unlicensed ride-hailing vehicles. Another 11 individuals were arrested on charges including conspiracy to defraud for allegedly assisting illegal workers in securing work through online ride-hailing platforms.

On imported labor, the Labour Department received 832 complaints related to the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme by the end of last year. Most involved suspected cases of employers replacing existing local workers with imported labor.

During the same period, administrative sanctions were imposed on 24 employers found to have breached the scheme. These included revoking approvals for importing labor from 22 employers and barring them from submitting new applications for two years, as well as suspending the processing of applications from two employers and rejecting further submissions for one year.

Sun said an interdepartmental task force to combat illegal employment was established in September last year to further strengthen enforcement. The task force comprises representatives from the Labour and Welfare Bureau, Education Bureau, Transport and Logistics Bureau, Immigration Department, Police Force, Labour Department and Transport Department.

The task force will continue to closely monitor the situation and formulate coordinated response strategies to step up enforcement against illegal workers, with the aim of safeguarding employment opportunities for local workers.