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South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Age limit for non-local skilled workers seeking jobs in Hong Kong raised from 35 to 40
The age limit for non-local skilled workers seeking employment in Hong Kong has been raised from 35 to 40 years old, the labour chief has revealed, saying the change was made after extensive consultation and will attract the necessary talent to address the city's manpower shortage in technical fields. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han confirmed the change on a radio show on Friday, adding that details of the new scheme were being finalised and would be released soon. 'Setting it at 40 years old is more ideal. We expect that if they come at 40, they can work until 65, meaning at least 25 years of contribution to Hong Kong's economy,' he said, identifying sectors such as lift maintenance, electrical technicians and enrolled nurses in care homes as key areas for recruitment. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu's policy address last October projected a labour shortage of around 180,000 workers across various sectors in the next five years, and he vowed to reform various aspects of the city's talent admission regime, including providing new channels for skilled and experienced workers within specific trades facing 'acute' manpower shortages to come to Hong Kong. The labour chief explained that the initial proposal for a 35-year age limit was revised after extensive consultation, with the new age range of 18 to 40 deemed more effective in attracting suitable technical talent to meet Hong Kong's labour needs. He noted that the global trend of ageing populations meant that the definition of 'young' was also evolving, influencing Hong Kong's approach to talent acquisition.
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Trump admin reverses planned closures of 3 dozen US mine safety offices
The Donald Trump administration is dropping plans to terminate leases for 34 offices in the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), the agency responsible for enforcing mine safety laws, the Department of Labour said Thursday. Earlier this year, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), created by President Donald Trump and run by Elon Musk, targeted federal agencies for spending cuts, including terminating leases for three dozen MSHA offices. Seven of those offices were in Kentucky alone. Ending the MSHA leases had been projected to save $18 million. Musk said this week that he's leaving his job as a senior advisor to the Trump administration. A statement released by a Labour Department spokesperson said it has been working closely with the General Services Administration "to ensure our MSHA inspectors have the resources they need to carry out their core mission to prevent death, illness, and injury from mining and promote safe and healthy workplaces for American miners". Some MSHA offices are still listed on the chopping block on the DOGE website, but the statement did not indicate whether those closings will move forward. MSHA was created by Congress within the Labour Department in 1978, in part because state inspectors were seen as too close to the industry to force coal companies to take the sometimes costly steps necessary to protect miners. MSHA is required to inspect each underground mine quarterly and each surface mine twice a year. Mining fatalities over the past four decades have dropped significantly, in large part because of the dramatic decline in coal production. But the proposed DOGE cuts would have required MSHA inspectors to travel further to get to a mine. A review in March of publicly available data by the Appalachian Citizens' Law Centre indicates that nearly 17,000 health and safety inspections were conducted from the beginning of 2024 through February 2025 by staff at MSHA offices in the facilities on the chopping block. MSHA, which also oversees metal and nonmetal mines, was already understaffed. Over the past decade, it has seen a 27 per cent reduction in total staff, including 30 per cent of enforcement staff in general and 50 per cent of enforcement staff for coal mines, the law centre said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Citizen
3 days ago
- The Citizen
Serenity Haven: Allegations of abuse and labour disputes arise
Allegations of abuse and neglect of patients and staff at Serenity Haven Frail Care Centre have been mounting since it emerged last year that the centre had allegedly suffered a financial loss of about R2.1m over four years at the hands of a former staff member. The Roodepoort Record has, since late last year, received numerous complaints from current and former staff members, families of former patients, and former volunteers, about conditions at the centre, which included allegations of neglect and abuse, sometimes violent, of staff and patients by the owner, George Mouton. Also read: Serenity Haven: Criminal charges to follow Allegations included that patients were fed rotten and expired food, while Mouton himself lived like a king on food donated to the haven, and that patients were often neglected, developing bed sores and other ailments due to insufficient care. Rupert September, owner of Maestro Assist, who was roped in to assist the Haven get back on track after the alleged theft came to light, says it was not long before they realised that the allegations against Mouton were more than just rumours spread by disgruntled former employees. 'We tried everything in our power to assist George in his quest to rectify things at the Haven,' he says. 'He was very resistant to some of the changes we tried to implement, and initially we thought it was just because he is an older man, set in his ways. 'It soon became clear he was trying to hide the real extent of what was going on, and we had to make a decision that we could not in good conscience remain part of the Haven, so we withdrew.' According to September, shortly after their withdrawal, he was approached by several staff members, asking for help. Also read: Frail care centre closed amid abuse allegations 'They complained of impossible working conditions and frequent outbursts by Mouton, which sometimes became violent. 'We assisted them by taking them to the Labour Department in Roodepoort, where it was discovered that not one of them was registered. It was also revealed that they were being paid substantially less than the legal minimum salary.' According to September, Mouton let all his staff go in April after it emerged that they had approached the Labour Department. In an interview with the Record, Mouton insisted this was untrue, and that he let the staff go because he could no longer afford to pay them due to the fact that R2.1m had been siphoned off from his accounts. Also read: Frail care centre loses millions in alleged theft He alleged that he was making use of volunteers and students to care for his patients. Mouton has, over numerous interviews with the Record, maintained his innocence, citing disgruntled employees spreading falsehoods about him as the origin of complaints. He maintains that he has never become violent with patients or staff, and insists that he ate the same food as his patients every day. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong to consider stronger laws to protect food delivery workers this year
Hong Kong authorities will propose to improve the rights and benefits of food delivery workers this year and consider legislative means to protect them better, following a string of recent labour disputes and protests. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han told lawmakers at a Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday that authorities would reinforce protection of workers on food delivery apps and had set up a liaison group composed of representatives from the government, operators and labour groups to explore suitable measures. Some lawmakers highlighted the need for greater scrutiny of such workers, noting that many of them operated illegally. Sun revealed that the authority had studied the regulatory regime in mainland China, where the Supreme People's Court had determined and defined the relationship between platform operators and workers based on work arrangements. He added that based on the findings of two surveys conducted by the Labour Department last year, workers were 'most concerned about work injury compensation'. Lawmakers voiced concerns that the current protection of food delivery workers in the city lagged behind many regions, including mainland China and some Western countries. In Hong Kong, food delivery workers have gathered to protest on several occasions in recent weeks.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
Govt to form district-level task forces to make UP child labour-free by 2027
The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to form district-level task forces to make the state completely child labour-free by 2027, officials said. The Labour Department has been assigned the task to achieve the target in coordination with the departments concerned such as Education, Women and Child Development, Panchayati Raj, Home, Health, Social Welfare, Rural Development, Urban Development, and Vocational Education, it is learnt. The government has devised concrete steps to address key challenges, including data scarcity and ensuring the retention of children in schools, which are critical in eliminating child labour, the officials said. One of the major hurdles in eradicating child labour has been the lack of reliable data, as comprehensive statistics have not been updated since the 2011 census. To address this, the Panchayati Raj Department has been tasked with collecting data on working children and child labourers at the village level. This data will be shared with the Labour and Education departments, facilitating the implementation of targeted child labour elimination programs. Also, district-level task forces will be established across all districts to expedite data collection with the help of local panchayats, they added. In partnership with UNICEF, the government will compile a booklet detailing the schemes of various departments that benefit child labourers and their families. This initiative will ensure that government assistance reaches every child and their family in need, supporting the broader goal of eliminating child labor in the state, the government stated. Another challenge in eradicating child labour is the retention of children who, despite being enrolled in schools, are irregular in attendance and are at risk of falling into the category of potential child labourers. To address this, the Women Welfare Department's Bal Seva Yojana, Sponsorship Scheme, and Child Helpline are working to provide education and rehabilitation opportunities for these children. The government is also considering the re-implementation of the 'Naya Savera' scheme after a qualitative evaluation, with the aim of providing better opportunities for child labourers. To raise public awareness, a large-scale program will be organised in Lucknow on June 12, World Day Against Child Labour, which will involve the cooperation of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), employers, and labour organisations. By combining data , awareness campaigns and rehabilitation schemes, the government is making efforts toward eliminating child labour and ensuring that children receive education and a secure future.
