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South China Morning Post
13 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong unions call for labour import scheme review amid rising job losses
Hong Kong catering and construction unions have called for a review of the labour import scheme amid high jobless rates in these sectors, with some local workers complaining about being replaced or forced to work fewer days after cheaper staff from outside the city were recruited. Chau Sze-kit, chairman of the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, said on Saturday that the unemployment rate of the construction sector reached a high level of 6.7 per cent, attributing this to the reduced number of local private projects. He said although the policy of importing workers might not directly affect the unemployment rate, the scheme still led to fewer job opportunities for local staff. Chau added he received complaints from some workers about being sacked by their employers or having their working days slashed because of the recruitment of imported staff. He called on the government to be more targeted in importing labour for specific occupations in short supply. '[Jobless rates] have kept rising. Do we still need to import workers? I think it should be more targeted. The workers should only be imported where there is such a need,' he told a radio programme.
South China Morning Post
23-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong construction sector urged to rehire workers from troubled contractor
Hong Kong industry leaders have called on new contractors to rehire workers and subcontractors from a local construction company that will lose its operating licence, to minimise delays in building 7,100 public homes. One construction sector leader also warned against a loophole that permits companies to re-register simply by changing the authorised person. Chau Sze-kit, chairman of the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, said on Friday that the best option for completing the construction of public flats on time was to rehire workers from soon-to-be-banned contractor Aggressive Construction Company. 'I suggest that [new contractors] retain the original subcontractors, as they face pressure to finish building the public flats for residents,' Chau told a radio show. The Development Bureau said on Thursday that Aggressive Construction Company would be removed from the government's registered list of contractors on June 20, following five fatalities in three accidents. One incident involved a 2022 crane tower collapsing and killing three workers on site.
