Hong Kong lawmakers question airport labour scheme impact on local staff wages
Hong Kong lawmakers have raised concerns about the impact of the 2023 Transport Industry Imported Labour Plan for Aviation on local workers' incomes, including wage levels, overtime hours, transport subsidies and public housing access. The government says wages for the 10 covered job types have rise
Hong Kong lawmakers have questioned the government about the effect of the Transport Industry Imported Labour Plan – Aviation, launched in July 2023, on local frontline airport workers. The plan allows airport operators to apply for imported labour for 10 non-managerial job types, with a cap of 6,300 workers, provided employers demonstrate local recruitment efforts and maintain a 2:1 ratio of local to imported staff.
In a legislative question on 4 November 2026, lawmakers asked for median monthly wages, average overtime hours and average overtime pay for local workers in the 10 job types over the past three years, and how these compare with pre-plan figures. They also queried the monthly disbursement of transport subsidies introduced by the Airport Authority in May 2024, the number of beneficiaries, the remaining balance, and whether the monthly cap could be raised to HK$500. Additionally, they asked whether the government would consider priority allocation of public rental housing units in Tung Chung for airport workers who meet eligibility criteria.
In its reply, the government said that monthly wage medians for the 10 job types have increased by 3.4 to 3.8 per cent since the plan began, based on figures from 2023 and revised in November 2025. It noted that airport manpower, which fell to about 53,000 during the pandemic, had risen over 40 per cent to around 75,000 by the first quarter of 2026, with local workers accounting for more than 90 per cent. Overtime hours for local workers in the covered roles have recently averaged 20 to 40 hours per month, with pay set by individual employers.
On transport subsidies, the government said that since May 2024, more than 8,300 eligible frontline workers have received monthly subsidies averaging about HK$1.3 million, with a cap of HK$400 per person and a minimum of HK$100 per person. The remaining balance is expected to sustain the programme for at least several more years. The Airport Authority will continue to review the subsidy in consultation with stakeholders.
Regarding public housing, the government said that setting aside new rental flats for a specific industry would be unfair to other applicants on the waiting list. It noted that most airport workers live in the New Territories and outlying islands, including Yuen Long, Tuen Mun and Tung Chung, and that road connections have improved since the Tuen Mun–Chek Lap Kok link opened in 2020. The Tung Chung new town expansion is expected to bring over 180,000 new residents, and the Airport Authority will continue recruitment activities and after-school support for workers' children in the area.