Following is a question by the Hon Jonathan Leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (July 8):

Question:

     The Government announced on the 15th of last month the review findings and enhanced measures of the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme, which include relaxing the manning ratio of full-time local employees with disabilities to imported workers to 1:1, so as to encourage enterprises to employ persons with disabilities (PWDs). Regarding the employment and training for PWDs, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) given that according to the findings of the survey on PWDs and chronic diseases published by the Census and Statistics Department in 2021, PWDs are mainly classified into eight categories, including restriction in body movement, seeing difficulty, hearing difficulty and communication difficulty, of the respective numbers and percentages of full-time employees with various types of disabilities engaged in various industries in each of the past three years, as well as the positions taken up by those engaged in the catering industry (such as kitchen assistants, waiters/waitresses and cashiers);

(2) of the respective numbers of unemployed persons and unemployment rates for various types of PWDs at present, with a breakdown by the categories of PWDs set out in part (1); whether the Government has assessed which type of PWDs faces the greatest employment difficulties;

(3) of the following information on the schemes implemented by the Government to promote the employment of PWDs (including employment matching services, the Work Orientation and Placement Scheme and the Support Programme for Employees with Disabilities) in each of the past three years: (i) the number of applications received, (ii) the amount of approved funding, (iii) the numbers of PWDs and employers involved, and (iv) the number of applications involving the catering industry;

(4) apart from relaxing the manning ratio of full-time local employees with disabilities to imported workers, whether the Government will consider further exempting the applications for imported workers made by employers who have offered full-time employment to local PWDs from the tiered vetting mechanism for labour importation, or shortening or waiving the relevant local recruitment procedures, so as to encourage the employment of local PWDs; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(5) of the latest situation regarding the Government's incorporation of technology application elements (e.g. intelligentisation, digitalisation and automation) into pre-employment training for PWDs; and

(6) as there are views that the limited space in local restaurants is a major obstacle to offering employment to PWDs, whether the Government will consider raising the existing ceiling on the amount of subsidy provided to employers in the catering industry for employing PWDs or providing tax concessions, so as to encourage the catering industry to create inclusive kitchens and shop fronts; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     The Government is committed to implementing various measures to promote the employment of persons with disabilities, so as to create more employment and on-the-job training opportunities for them and unleash their potential. In consultation with the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), the Labour Department (LD) and the Social Welfare Department (SWD), our consolidated reply to the Member's question is as follows:

(1) According to the latest territory-wide survey conducted by the C&SD on persons with disabilities and chronic diseases, it was estimated that some 86 300 persons with disabilities were employed persons in 2020, of whom some 13 400 persons with disabilities were engaged in the retail, accommodation and food services sector. Breakdowns of employed persons with disabilities by industry and selected type of disability and by occupation are at Annex 1. As for the number of employed persons with disabilities being full-time employees and the breakdown of employed persons with disabilities by individual job position, the C&SD does not maintain such information.

(2) The unemployment rate of persons with disabilities was about 11 per cent in 2020. The number of unemployed persons with disabilities by selected type of disability is at Annex 2.

     Persons with different types of disabilities face different challenges when seeking employment. The Selective Placement Division (SPD) of the LD assists job seekers with disabilities in identifying suitable jobs based on their work capabilities. To enhance employers' understanding of the work capabilities of persons with disabilities, the LD has published practical guides, including Practical Guide to Employing Persons with Disabilities, Practical Guide of Inclusive Job Redesign, to help employers understand the needs of persons with different disabilities, enabling them to implement appropriate measures, such as job adaptations and use of assistive devices, to assist persons with disabilities in adjusting to their work and enhancing their work efficiency. In addition, the Labour and Welfare Bureau has also set up a One-stop Information and Support Platform for Employment of Persons with Disabilities on its website, providing one-stop information on employment support to employers and persons with disabilities.

(3) The SPD of the LD provides personalised services for job seekers with disabilities who are fit for employment, including employment counselling, job matching and referral, as well as post-placement follow-up service. In addition, the SPD implements the Work Orientation and Placement Scheme (WOPS) to provide employers with an on-the-job training allowance to encourage them to employ persons with disabilities and provide training and support. The numbers of applications under WOPS (including those from the catering industry), persons with disabilities employed and employers involved from 2023 to 2025, as well as the annual breakdowns of amounts of allowances disbursed to employers from 2023-24 to 2025-26 are at Annex 3.

     The SWD provides a one-off subsidy to employers through the Support Programme for Employees with Disabilities (SPED) for the procurement of assistive devices or workplace modifications to facilitate employees with disabilities discharging their duties and to enhance their work efficiency. The SWD also operates the Job Trial Wage Subsidy Scheme, offering subsidy to employers to encourage the employment of persons with disabilities.

     In addition, the SWD subsidises eligible organisations to set up small enterprises/businesses under the Enhancing Employment of People with Disabilities through Small Enterprise Project to enhance the employment of persons with disabilities through a market-driven approach and direct creation of more employment opportunities. The maximum grant per business is $3 million for its setup costs and anticipated operating losses for the initial period of up to three years. The grantee must ensure that at least 50 per cent of the total number of persons employed for the business are persons with disabilities, so as to create more employment and on-the-job training opportunities.

     Statistics on the above schemes under SWD for the past three years are at Annex 4.

(4) To strike a better balance between meeting the genuine needs of employers for importing labour and ensuring the employment priority for local workers, the Government has launched a tiered vetting mechanism under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS). Compared with the basic vetting requirements (Tier 1), applications vetted under Tier 2 shall be subject to more stringent manning ratio and local open recruitment requirements, or other suitable sector-specific requirement(s). Since June 16, 2026, the LD has included posts in the production section and table service section of the food and beverage services sector in the Tier 2 vetting mechanism.

     With a view to promoting the employment of persons with disabilities, if employers take on local persons with disabilities (Note 1) to take up full-time jobs (Note 2) and apply for imported workers under the ESLS, the manning ratio of full-time local employees with disabilities (irrespective of the section or job category) to imported workers will be relaxed to 1:1. This measure is applicable to the ESLS applications across all sectors (including the food and beverage services sector, which is included in the Tier 2 vetting mechanism).

     To ensure the employment priority for local workers, the local open recruitment of all ESLS applications (including applications with the manning ratio relaxed due to the employment of local persons with disabilities) must be undertaken according to relevant requirements and priority must be accorded to employing suitable local workers.

(5) The SWD enhanced vocational rehabilitation services in 2025, converting all sheltered workshops into Integrated Vocational Rehabilitation Services Centres, and improving service and training models to raise the quality of vocational training and its alignment with market demand, enabling service users to acquire skills that better meet societal and economic development needs. The focus of the enhancement is to establish a diversified vocational training ladder, introduce advanced equipment and market‑relevant content, and assist service users in acquiring new skills that align with social development trends. New equipment includes digital fabric printing machines, laser cutting and engraving machines, high‑temperature ceramic kilns, mobile ordering systems, intelligent portion‑controlled rice dispensers, retail payment, marketing and inventory systems, and 3D/UV printers.

     In addition, to enhance their training programmes and service quality, the Shine Skills Centres under the Vocational Training Council continuously review and optimise the content and framework of their programmes having regard to the needs of the job market. In recent years, modules on the use of artificial intelligence software and techniques have been added to relevant course syllabi, deepening the trainees' understanding of smart technology and artificial intelligence. The Employees Retraining Board will also consider gradually incorporating content on application of technology into suitable vocational training courses (including dedicated courses for persons with disabilities) to help trainees enhance digital literacy and skills.

(6) In 2019, the SWD conducted a comprehensive review of the SPED and increased the subsidy limit for each employee with disabilities to $40,000. If an employer applies for workplace modifications for multiple employees with disabilities, the subsidy limit may also be calculated on a cumulative basis.

     In 2020, the LD also increased the amount of the on-the-job training allowance under the WOPS to further encourage employers to employ job seekers with disabilities. The allowance granted to employers for employing each job seeker with disabilities who has encountered employment difficulties was increased to a maximum of $60,000 during the nine-month subsidy period.

     The Government will continue to monitor the employment situation of persons with disabilities and review various measures to promote the employment of persons with disabilities from time to time, so as to continue providing appropriate employment support to persons with disabilities.

Note 1: Refers to Hong Kong residents receiving the Normal Disability Allowance or Higher Disability Allowance disbursed by the SWD.

Note 2: Refers to all local employees who are directly employed by an employer and work not less than 35 hours per week for operating the relevant business (irrespective of posts and working locations), excluding part time staff, staff of sub contractor(s) or self employed person(s) providing services to the employer.

Ends/Wednesday, July 8, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:30

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