60% of Hong Kong workers against importing more labour from outside city, survey finds
Hong Kong Free Press
More than 60 per cent of Hong Kong workers have expressed their opposition to importing more labour to ease widespread manpower crunches, citing concerns about employment prospects and further pay cuts, a survey has found.
Nearly 30 per cent of 3,288 union members interviewed in July reported having had their pay docked, with 48 per cent saying they were worried about employment prospects under government labour importation schemes, according to a survey by the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU).
Citing its findings, the city’s largest labour union on Sunday called on the government to introduce a mechanism to halt the importation scheme and reduce the number of imported workers.
“[The FTU] also strongly calls on the government to introduce more proactive policies on encouraging employment in the upcoming Policy Address, prioritising industries experiencing manpower shortages by improving their pay and benefits,” the FTU said in a statement.
Most workers under the imported labour scheme are from mainland China.
The survey also found that 60.2 per cent of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed to an expansion of the labour importation scheme. Of those who disagreed, 84 per cent said they were concerned about reduced employment opportunities, and about 72 per cent said they worried that importing workers would suppress wages for local workers.
Hong Kong workers struggling
Hong Kong’s catering, retail and construction sectors recorded higher than average unemployment rates of 5 per cent, 4.3 per cent and 4.3 per cent from May to June, compared to 3 per cent on average, according to the government’s latest labour force statistics.
See also: Switch to Shenzhen by budget-conscious Hongkongers eats away at profits for local eateries
Speaking at the press conference on Sunday, Yu Kim-hung, vice chairman of the Eating Establishment Employees General Union, said the city’s food and beverage industry had been weakened by changes in Hongkongers’ spending habits.
In recent months, domestic retail and restaurant expenditure has been depressed as residents spend across the border in mainland China or overseas. That, coupled with long hours and low pay, had resulted in a lack of new blood in the industry, Yu said.
Chau Sze-kit, vice-chair of the FTU and chairman of the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, said the construction sector had seen a drastic reduction in the amount of private sector projects, with architecture firms and engineering consultancies also affected.
The union said that because imported labourers were paid a monthly salary that guaranteed them 24 days work per month, there was less work available for local workers, who are typically hired on a daily basis, the union said.
See also: Hong Kong architect industry group urges gov’t to roll out more projects amid job shortage, layoffs
The FTU’s calls came after the Association of Architectural Practices, a group representing Hong Kong architects, appealed to the government to speed up capital works projects and outsource more consultancy services amid widespread layoffs in the sector.
In response, the Development Bureau said the government would continue to allocate resources to take forward capital works projects, adding that it believed the architectural industry’s woes were “short-term.”
The FTU on Sunday urged the government to suspend the labour importation scheme for the construction sector. It also called for regular disclosures about about companies hiring imported workers, for improvements to local workers’ pay and benefits, and for officials to develop policies that prioritise the employment of local workers.
Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps
Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team
HKFP has an impartial stance, transparent funding, and balanced coverage guided by an Ethics Code and Corrections Policy.
Support press freedom & help us surpass 1,000 monthly Patrons: 100% independent, governed by an ethics code & not-for-profit.