Imported labour | Hui Tak-sum: catering unemployment reflects structural change — new mechanism aids matching | HK01
The Labour Department has completed its review of the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS), implementing multiple refinements from today (16th) — including a two-tier approval system and administrative sanctions against non-compliant employers extended from a maximum of two years to five. Labour Department Commissioner Tak-sum Hui said in a radio interview that the local workforce is changing significantly, industries differ in circumstance, and the government must ensure the market has appropriate labour to support Hong Kong's economic development while safeguarding local employment.
Speaking on RTHK's "Millennium" programme, Hui said tiered approval reflects different industries' needs. Catering, for example, splits into kitchen (production) and front-of-house — an industry warranting stricter local-hiring requirements, hence the "Tier 2 approval" mechanism. Tier 2 carries higher requirements, aiming to adjust the local-to-imported ratio in a targeted, precise way, with local workers complementing imported ones.
Hui said the main consideration is catering's relatively high unemployment. But high unemployment doesn't mean employers find hiring easy — there's an "expectation mismatch": the sector currently shows both high vacancy and high unemployment rates, reflecting needed adjustments on pay and other terms. Unemployed workers may not find identical positions and must compromise; he hopes both sides will "each take a step" toward matching.
On the closure wave's impact, Hui argued the industry's biggest problem is "not having more imported workers" but a "gap" between workers displaced by closures and the demands of newly opened restaurants. New-style dining standardises ingredients and processes — very different from the traditional "master chef" skill set — and the industry's production structure is changing, though it still retains a meaningful local workforce.
The new mechanism changes the calculation base to the whole production department's headcount, providing more flexibility so that helper positions, for instance, no longer each need individual import applications.
Hui concluded that after more than two years, the scheme's regulation is mature — job descriptions, wage requirements, oversight and spot checks are well developed. Violations surface occasionally, but the authorities hold administrative and enforcement tools and will mount joint operations with other departments. The Labour Department will keep improving its monitoring.
Original article: https://www.hk01.com/article/60360683?utm_source=01articlecopy&utm_medium=referral
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