LCQ20: Imported labour in catering industry
*******************************************
Question:
The Government launched the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) in September 2023 to address labour shortages. The duration of the employment contract of an imported worker shall not be longer than 24 months (commencing from the date of arrival in Hong Kong). It is learnt that the first batch of imported workers on two-year contracts have completed their contracts one after another from September 2025. Some members of the catering sector are concerned that if these imported workers, who have already received training and become familiar with Hong Kong's working environment, are not allowed to remain in Hong Kong, the time and resources invested by employers in hiring them will be wasted. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of catering workers imported under the ESLS whose employment contracts have expired since September 2025 (broken down by month); among them, the number of those who have been offered contract renewal by their original employers and have applied for continuing to work in Hong Kong, as well as the progress of processing such applications;
(2) given that some members of the catering sector consider that the service quality of many restaurants has improved significantly following the importation of labour, which is conducive to strengthening Hong Kong's reputation as a hospitable city and a culinary paradise, but the current policy requires these imported workers to return to their places of origin first upon contract completion, and employers must also obtain approval from the Labour Department again before importing labour, to help the sector stabilise its manpower supply, whether the Government will introduce measures to ensure that well-performing and eligible imported catering workers can continue to work in Hong Kong seamlessly upon contract renewal; if so, of the details; if not, the measures the Government will implement to ensure a stable manpower supply in the sector;
(3) for imported workers who have become unemployed due to the closure of restaurants that employed them, whether the Government will, having regard to the fact that these workers have received relevant training and adapted to Hong Kong's working environment, consider allowing them to continue working in other restaurants within the period of stay approved under their original contracts; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4) to further strengthen Hong Kong's international reputation as a culinary paradise, whether the Government will consider introducing specific measures, such as importing catering workers of diverse cultural backgrounds, experience and skills under the ESLS, so as to promote culinary diversity and innovation within the sector and enhance the standard of table service?
Reply:
President,
To cope with the challenges brought by manpower shortage and foster Hong Kong's economic development, and on the premise of ensuring employment priority for local workers, the Government suitably allows employers with genuine difficulty in recruiting suitable local workers to apply for importation of labour. Apart from launching sector-specific labour importation schemes for the construction sector, transport sector, and residential care homes for the elderly and residential care homes for persons with disabilities, the Labour Department (LD) has implemented the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) since September 4, 2023 to allow employers to apply to import workers which were generally excluded under the previous Supplementary Labour Scheme. The Government has been closely monitoring the employment market, and adopting a flexible and targeted approach to adjust the implementation arrangements of the ESLS in light of the latest situation, striving to safeguard the employment priority for local workers and maintain labour supply to support Hong Kong's economic development.
In consultation with the relevant bureaux, the reply to the Member's question is as follows:
(1) and (2) Since its implementation and as at December 2025, the ESLS received over 22 500 applications, involving more than 171 000 imported workers; of these, 8 730 applications involving 64 917 imported workers were from the food and beverage services industry. From September to December 2025, the ESLS received 1 046 applications from the food and beverage services industry, seeking to import 5 696 workers. The Immigration Department does not maintain the monthly statistics on the number of imported workers whose employment contracts have expired or who have submitted renewal applications.
Under the ESLS, employers wishing to continue employing imported workers upon the expiry of their employment contracts are required to submit applications to the LD. Both new applications and renewal applications for labour importation are processed in accordance with the same requirements of the ESLS, which include requiring the employers to undertake local recruitment exercise and accord priority to employing suitable local job seekers, and meet the relevant manning ratio requirements of local employees to imported workers. After an employer has completed the local recruitment, the LD will analyse each application so as to assess the employer's actual manpower needs and the number of serving local employees etc, and invite members of the Labour Advisory Board to give views. The Commissioner for Labour will thoroughly assess various factors and determine whether to approve or refuse the relevant application for importation of labour. If approval for the renewal application for labour importation is granted, the employer may decide whether to continue employing the current imported worker(s) or employ new staff through the established channels.
The LD continuously enhances the implementation arrangements of the ESLS, striving to balance the employment of local workers and the manpower needs of various sectors. For example, the LD has implemented measures to strengthen the protection of the employment priority for local workers in June 2025. Among others, application(s) submitted by the same employer within the following six months after the employer has submitted an ESLS application are generally not processed. To cater for the manpower arrangements of enterprises, the measure is not applicable to renewal applications for importation of labour.
(3) Imported workers shall be employed under the Standard Employment Contract signed by them. They must work for the employers specified in the contracts and take up designated positions at designated workplaces. In case the employment contracts of imported workers are prematurely terminated, other employers having been granted approvals to import workers can apply to employ these imported workers in accordance with the relevant requirements.
(4) The Government are committed to enhancing the professional standards of the food and beverage services industry of Hong Kong. Relevant policy bureaux and departments formulate training programmes in response to the latest industry developments and manpower needs so as to bolster its reputation as a Paradise for Food. In promoting professional quality services, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) continuously promotes the Quality Tourism Services (QTS) Scheme covering restaurants, retail merchants and visitor accommodation providers, and organises training for QTS Scheme-accredited merchants to enhance their tourism service skills and standards.
To further foster a hospitable culture, the HKTB has recognised merchants and industry practitioners through newspapers, online platforms and television programmes for their outstanding products and services, promoting the spirit of hospitality to the society. This has included the local food and beverage services industry, where frontline practitioners and restaurant managers shared their stories on providing quality dining experiences with professionalism and courtesy. These stories showcased the excellent professional service standards and service skills of the industry from multiple perspectives, while also encouraging broader industry participation in promoting and displaying hospitality of Hong Kong.
Besides, the Chinese Culinary Institute and International Culinary Institute of the Vocational Training Council are committed to providing diversified training programmes to meet the manpower demand of the food and beverage services industry, and nurture outstanding talent in support of the sustainable development of the food and beverage services industry in Hong Kong. The Employees Retraining Board also provides training courses relevant to the food and beverage services industry for the local workforce, covering such skills training as different cuisines and hospitality etiquette.
Ends/Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Issued at HKT 11:05
Issued at HKT 11:05
NNNN