Importing labour necessary amid declining working population, Chris Sun says

The government has warned that penalties will be toughened if employers were to dismiss local employees to hire imported ones, emphasizing that administrative sanctions will be strictly imposed on violators.
The warning came as the government introduced a tiered mechanism to the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme, tightening the local-to-foreign worker ratio requirement for the kitchen (production) and floor service sections in the catering industry to 3:1.

At a Legislative Council committee meeting, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han defended labor importation as necessary, as Hong Kong faces challenges from an aging population and a shrinking labour force. However, he stressed that local employment remains the top priority.

He added that employers found to have dismissed local workers after importing foreign labour will face administrative sanctions.

Sun noted authorities are reviewing plans to further tighten import ratios for the retail and security sectors.

Regarding concerns about whether penalties for violating employers could be strengthened through legislation, Sun noted that the importation of labour is an administrative arrangement, so penalties are limited to administrative actions.

If employers breach the Employment Ordinance or the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, authorities will pursue prosecution, he added.

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