Following is a question by the Hon Dennis Leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (June 10):

Question:

     The Government has been implementing the Labour Importation Scheme for the Construction Sector and the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) one after the other since 2023, and has introduced lift/escalator technicians into the Technical Professionals List (TP List) under the General Employment Policy (GEP) and the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP) with effect from June 30, 2025. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the respective numbers of workers in the following trades in the lift and escalator industry who were imported under the Labour Importation Scheme for the Construction Sector from 2025 to March 2026: (i) lift and escalator mechanics (master), (ii) lift mechanics, (iii) escalator mechanics, and (iv) lift/escalator technicians (set out in Table 1);

Table 1

Numbers of quotas approved in the lift and escalator industry under the Labour Importation Scheme for the Construction Sector
Year	(i)	(ii)	(iii)	(iv)	Total
2025
January to March 2026
Total

(2) given that ESLS allows employers in specified industries, including the electrical and electronics industries, to apply to import workers at technician level or below, subject to relevant requirements, of the respective numbers of the following skilled workers in the electrical and electronics industries who were imported annually under ESLS from 2023 to March 2026: (i) electricians (electrical industry), (ii) mechanical fitters (electrical industry), (iii) refrigeration/air-conditioning/ventilation technicians (electrical industry), (iv) mechanical engineering technicians (electrical industry), (v) building services mechanics (electrical industry), (vi) electrical fitters (electrical industry), (vii) electronics technicians (electrical industry), and (viii) electricians (electronics industry) (set out in Table 2);

Table 2

Numbers of skilled workers in the electrical and electronics industries who were admitted under ESLS (certain posts)
Common posts (industrial category)	2023	2024	2025	January to March 2026	Total
(i)
...
(viii)
Total

(3) given that while ESLS currently does not accept applications for importation of labour of industries and job categories covered by the Labour Importation Scheme for the Construction Sector, some members of the sector have relayed that some of the skilled workers in the electrical and electronics industries who were imported under ESLS have taken up posts in the lift and escalator industry, of the respective numbers of the following skilled workers who were imported annually under ESLS but were actually employed by registered lift and escalator contractors from 2023 to March 2026: (i) electricians (electrical industry), (ii) mechanical fitters (electrical industry), (iii) refrigeration/air-conditioning/ventilation technicians (electrical industry), (iv) mechanical engineering technicians (electrical industry), (v) building services mechanics (electrical industry), (vi) electrical fitters (electrical industry), (vii) electronics technicians (electrical industry), and (viii) electricians (electronics industry) (set out in Table 3); 

Table 3

Numbers of skilled workers employed by 42 registered lift and escalator contractors under ESLS
Common posts (industrial category)	2023	2024	2025	January to March 2026	Total
(i)
...
(viii)
Total

(4) whether any cases of non-compliance have been identified among applicants and imported workers since 2023 (i.e. cases in which skilled workers in the electrical and electronics industries who were imported under ESLS have taken up posts in the lift and escalator industry); if so, of the penalties imposed in respect of such cases; and

(5) of the respective numbers of workers in the following trades in the lift and escalator industry who were imported via the TP List under GEP and ASMTP from 2025 to March 2026: (i) lift technicians, (ii) escalator technicians, and (iii) lift/escalator technicians (set out in Table 4)?

Table 4

Numbers of approvals in the lift and escalator industry under GEP and ASMTP (Technical Professionals Stream)
Year	(i)	(ii)	(iii)	Total
2025
January to March 2026
Total

Reply:

President,

     To cope with the challenges brought by manpower shortage and foster Hong Kong's economic development, the Government, on the principle of ensuring employment priority for local workers, suitably allows employers with genuine difficulty in recruiting suitable local workers to apply for importation of workers. Apart from launching sector-specific labour importation schemes for the transport sector and residential care homes for the elderly and residential care homes for persons with disabilities, the Development Bureau (DEVB) has implemented the Labour Importation Scheme for the Construction Sector (Construction Sector Scheme) since July 17, 2023. The Labour Department (LD) has also implemented the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) since September 4, 2023, to allow employers with genuine needs to apply for importation of workers for posts that were generally excluded under the previous Supplementary Labour Scheme.

     The Government has all along adopted a multi-pronged approach to address manpower demands in the construction sector, enhancing training and promoting the use of technology to uplift productivity and mitigate labour shortage. The Construction Sector Scheme is a complementary measure whereby main contractors and subcontractor employers must conduct local recruitment as required and demonstrate that they are unable to employ sufficient local workers before their applications are considered. All imported workers must also comply with the same qualification and job requirements, median wages, etc, as local workers in similar positions. These measures safeguard the employment priority of local workers. When processing each application under the Construction Sector Scheme, the DEVB scrutinises whether the applicant has conducted local recruitment as per the requirements promulgated by the Government and failed to employ the required skilled workers, whether there is genuine need for importing skilled workers for the project taking into consideration factors including project progress, the demand for each relevant trade and its manpower situation, as well as the overall labour market situation before determining whether to approve quotas.

     On the other hand, in the face of an ageing workforce and a lack of new entrants, some skilled trades that are critical to sustaining Hong Kong's city operation are facing acute talent succession gaps. To improve the demographic structure in these skilled trades, in addition to continuing to strengthen the training for local technical professionals, the Government has introduced a new channel under the General Employment Policy (GEP) and the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP) from June 30, 2025, to allow young and non-degree mid-level professionals with qualifications and experience as specified in the Technical Professional List to apply to come to Hong Kong, and attract them to settle in Hong Kong in the long run. The new channel covers eight specified skilled trades, including lift/escalator technicians.

     In consultation with the DEVB and the Immigration Department, the reply to the Member's question is as follows:

(1) Under the Construction Sector Scheme, for the three skilled worker trades related to the lift and escalator industry (namely (i) lift and escalator mechanic (master), (ii) lift mechanic, (iii) escalator mechanic) and one technician trade (namely (iv) lift/escalator technician), the number of skilled workers/technicians imported through the scheme from 2025 to March 2026 is set out at Annex 1.

(2) From 2023 to March 2026, a breakdown of the number of imported workers approved under the ESLS each year for the electrical and electronics sectors by job category is set out at Annex 2. 

(3) and (4) As required by the ESLS, imported workers (including those from the electrical and electronics sectors), upon arrival to work in Hong Kong under the ESLS, must be directly employed by the same employers for taking up the specified posts and performing specified duties at the designated workplace(s) in accordance with the requirements set out in the approvals-in-principle issued by the LD and the Standard Employment Contract. The LD does not maintain statistics on the number of imported workers employed by the registered lift and escalator contractors.

     If employers are found to have breached the above requirements, other requirements of the ESLS or relevant labour and immigration laws, the LD will impose administrative sanctions on the employers concerned. Depending on the nature of the breaches, the LD will withdraw the approvals for importation of labour previously granted to employers, and refuse to process any subsequent applications for labour importation submitted by employers (with a debarment period of up to two years). Since the implementation of the ESLS and up to March 2026, the LD has imposed administrative sanctions on 35 employers for breaching the Employees' Compensation Ordinance, occupational safety and health legislation, Immigration Ordinance or requirements of the ESLS; none of these cases involve the electrical and electronics sectors.

(5) From June 30, 2025, to March 31, 2026, the numbers of applications approved under the Technical Professionals Stream of the GEP and the ASMTP to work under the skilled trade lift/escalator technician in Hong Kong are set out at Annex 3.

Ends/Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Issued at HKT 11:45

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