Labour Dept received 2,700 applications to hire 19k non-local workers

The Labour Department received more than 2,700 applications under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme in the first nine months of this year, seeking to bring in nearly 19,000 non-local workers.

A tiered approval mechanism under the scheme took effect in mid-June with catering jobs in food preparation and floor service falling under Tier 2, requiring employers to meet a 3-to-1 local-to-non-local ratio when hiring imported workers. The department says 93 applications were rejected at initial screening because employers failed to meet the staffing proportion.

Employers must also recruit locally before they can hire non-locals. Over the past three months, nearly 220 employers offered 1,300 positions in recruitment fairs but only one person has been hired.