Expectations for Prompt Arrival and Commencement of Work for Foreign Workers
A spokesperson for the Transport and Logistics Bureau expressed their hope that the imported workers will arrive as soon as possible for training and to begin working, in order to alleviate the severe manpower shortage in the aviation industry and support the industry's ongoing recovery. The authorities will continue to listen to the opinions of the liaison group, closely monitor the implementation of the scheme, and announce details for the second round of applications at the appropriate time.
Arrival and Training of Foreign Workers
According to Emily Lau, Chairperson of the Hong Kong Airline Service Providers Association, the first batch of foreign workers is expected to arrive as early as October to November. Upon arrival, they will undergo one to two months of training to meet the demands of the peak Christmas season.
Ground Staff Receives the Most Quotas
Ground staff became the occupation with the highest number of quotas approved in the first round, totaling 719 quotas. The application period for the first round was from July 17th to 30th this year, with 29 eligible companies applying for 2,889 imported worker quotas, covering 10 occupations under the scheme. These applications were reviewed by a cross-departmental liaison group composed of representatives from the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the Labour Department, and the Civil Aviation Department.
Few Applications Rejected for Not Meeting Requirements or Low Wages
The Transport and Logistics Bureau stated that a few applications were not approved because they failed to meet one of the basic requirements of the scheme, such as the quantity of quotas applied for needing to comply with the ratio of full-time local employees to imported workers, or the applicants must have previously recruited for the position locally. Additionally, one application was not approved due to offering wages below the median for that occupation.
Expectations for Prompt Arrival and Commencement of Work for Foreign Workers
A spokesperson for the Transport and Logistics Bureau expressed their hope that the imported workers will arrive as soon as possible for training and to begin working, in order to alleviate the severe manpower shortage in the aviation industry and support the industry's ongoing recovery. The authorities will continue to listen to the opinions of the liaison group, closely monitor the implementation of the scheme, and announce details for the second round of applications at the appropriate time.
Aviation Industry to Continue Applying for Foreign Labor Quotas
The industry stated that the first round of applications was a testing step, and companies will continue applying for imported workers in the next round to better streamline the application process. The aviation industry emphasized that foreign workers are an essential supplemental manpower method in response to the shortage of workers and the airport's development needs.
The first round of foreign labor quota approvals for the Hong Kong aviation industry has been completed, with a total of 28 companies receiving 2,841 quotas. Ground staff received the highest number of quotas, totaling 719. A few applications were rejected for not meeting the scheme's requirements or offering wages below the standards. Foreign workers are expected to arrive and undergo training between October and November to support the workforce demands of the aviation industry. The Hong Kong aviation industry expressed its intention to continue applying for foreign labor quotas in the next round to address the manpower shortage issue.
