Almost 75% of Hong Kong’s low-income workers oppose gov’t plan to import labour, survey finds
Hong Kong Free Press
Almost three-quarters of Hong Kong’s low-income workers oppose the government’s plan to import foreign labour amid manpower shortfalls, with many fearing they could see reduced wages or even job losses, a survey has found.
During a press conference held by NGO Society for Community Organisation (SoCO) on Sunday, the group said that 74 per cent of survey respondents said they were not in favour of the city’s labour importation plan.
Sixty-two per cent said they were worried their jobs were at stake, and 60 per cent said there was concern that employers might lose motivation to improve their treatment of local workers.
SoCO surveyed a total of 208 low-income workers after the government announced in June that it would seek to import around 20,000 workers to alleviate a labour crunch in the city’s construction, transport and aviation sectors.
While the scheme does not explicitly target mainland Chinese workers, authorities have said that “past experience” of similar labour schemes tended to attract mostly applicants from across the border due to geographical proximity and convenience.
Under the arrangements, new sector-specific importation schemes will aim to fill 12,000 positions in the construction field and 8,000 in the transport industry. The schemes will adopt a more “streamlined process with greater certainty in approval and… more flexibility” compared to current labour attraction mechanisms, the government said.
Separately, the existing Supplementary Labour Scheme will be broadened to accept applicants from 26 occupations that were previously excluded, among them sales assistants, waiters, hair stylists and delivery workers.
Importing labour not ‘long-term’ plan, group says
According to SoCO, local workers employed in low-skill jobs will “bear the brunt” of the government’s plan to import labour as it could affect their chances at employment.
The group also said while government statistics showed the city’s working population had fallen over the years, there were over 100,000 non-elderly people who were not involved in any economic activities. They included those who retired early to attend to household matters, as well as unpaid caregivers. Authorities should look into providing them with employment support to attract them to the workforce, SoCO added.
Importing labour, the group said, was not a long-term solution to Hong Kong’s manpower shortage.
The group also expressed concern that while there were quotas for the sector-specific schemes, there were no quotas for the import of foreign workers through the Supplementary Labour Scheme, potentially hurting locals’ chances at employment.
The city has already opened applications for employers to hire workers through the new mechanisms. The Transport and Logistics Bureau said last week that it had received applications to bring in 1,600 minibus and coach drivers under the transport sector import scheme.
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
Support press freedom & help us surpass 1,000 monthly Patrons: 100% independent, governed by an ethics code & not-for-profit.
