'Consider halting labour imports for certain sectors'
Lam Chun-sing says the government could set a quota for the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme depending on unemployment figures. Photo: RTHK
A trade unionist lawmaker on Saturday suggested that officials should consider pausing labour imports for certain industries, as more locals are losing their jobs after the shuttering of multiple companies.
These closures involved bakery chain Taipan which ceased operations after more than four decades on Tuesday, as well as local congee chain Ocean Empire Food Shop after operating for 33 years.
Lam Chun-sing, chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions told reporters after a Commercial Radio programme that the government could set a quota for the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme depending on unemployment figures, to give locals the priority.
"We don't want to see a situation [where] our unemployment rate increases and also we continue to import more and more labour. So we hope that maybe the government can collect more information on different job categories," he said.
"If [in] those job categories, the unemployment rate is very high and the number of job vacancies [is] reduced, then the government may set a limit or a ceiling or suspend the labour importation scheme in a specific job category."
Lam also suggested the government to roll out various measures such as a tax allowance to encourage employers to recruit elderly workers as part of its bid to promote the silver economy.
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