Labour & Welfare chief Chris Sun revealed that since the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) started in September 2023, approvals have been issued for 37,700 workers in food-and-beverage and hotel roles, with 17,000 already on the ground. The ESLS temporarily lifts long-standing bans on low-skilled positions so businesses can tackle acute manpower shortages.
Applications rejected to date mostly failed the 2:1 local-to-imported staff ratio or involved employers with adverse compliance records. The Labour Department has stepped-up workplace inspections and forced seven firms off the scheme for breaches ranging from wage underpayment to displacing local staff.
The figures confirm that Hong Kong continues to rely on migration to reboot tourism and MICE events. HR teams planning new outlets or hotel refreshes should factor in the ESLS pipeline but also its stringent audit regime.
Sun said a mid-term manpower projection will prioritise sectors with high import ratios, signalling that policy tweaks – or sunset clauses – may arrive in 2026.
Applications rejected to date mostly failed the 2:1 local-to-imported staff ratio or involved employers with adverse compliance records. The Labour Department has stepped-up workplace inspections and forced seven firms off the scheme for breaches ranging from wage underpayment to displacing local staff.
The figures confirm that Hong Kong continues to rely on migration to reboot tourism and MICE events. HR teams planning new outlets or hotel refreshes should factor in the ESLS pipeline but also its stringent audit regime.
Sun said a mid-term manpower projection will prioritise sectors with high import ratios, signalling that policy tweaks – or sunset clauses – may arrive in 2026.
