Having been endorsed by the Chief Executive in Council, the introduction of sector-specific labour importation schemes for the construction and transport sectors will come into effect in July 2023; and the enhancement of the coverage and operation of the Supplementary Labour Scheme (SLS), renamed as the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS), will follow in the third quarter of 2023.
According to a Government spokesperson on 13 June 2023, the measures are aimed at addressing acute manpower shortages across various sectors as Hong Kong faces a structural labour force shrinkage owing to an ageing population. The local labour force (excluding foreign domestic helpers) has decreased from the peak of 3.68 million in 2018 to 3.46 million in 2022. The low-skilled workforce shrank by about 160,000.
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Thus, sector-specific labour importation schemes to be implemented by the Development Bureau and Transport and Logistics Bureau will allow, among others, employers to apply for quotas for importation of labour. The total quota for the two schemes is 20,000, comprising 12,000 for the construction sector and 8,000 for the transport sector, of which 6,300 are for the aviation industry and 1,700 for the public light bus/coach trade.
Meanwhile, the ESLS will include suspending the general exclusion of the 26 job categories and unskilled/low-skilled posts from the SLS for two years; enhancing dissemination of application information to employers; streamlining verification of application information; and fine-tuning the workflow of consultation with the Labour Advisory Board (LAB). Other key requirements of the SLS will remain unchanged. —Construction+ Online
Source: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
