Most Hong Kong workers against city importing more foreign labour, survey finds
- Federation of Trade Unions survey also finds 29 per cent of workers reported that their pay had fallen compared with last year
Three in five Hong Kong workers are against the city importing more foreign labour to ease shortages in certain industries, fearing it will threaten job opportunities and further reduce their wages, a survey has found.
The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU), the city’s largest labour group, interviewed 3,288 members in July and also found that 29.6 per cent of respondents reported a decrease in pay compared with the previous year.
The federation, which released the results on Sunday, said workers in the retail, food and beverage, and construction industries were among the hardest hit, with nearly one in five reporting joblessness during the survey.
The numbers were significantly higher than the government’s latest unemployment rates for the May to July period, which stood between 4.3 per cent and 5 per cent.
The three sectors were included in the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme announced by the government last year, which allows employers to bring in workers for 26 low-skilled job categories not covered in a previous programme.
Pointing to the construction industry as an example, FTU vice-chairman Chau Sze-kit said there had been a sharp decline in projects starting last year, particularly in the private sector, which had “practically entirely halted” with a 90 per cent drop in available jobs.
