Two Hong Kong firms banned from importing workers after ESLS breaches
Hong Kong's Labor Department banned Shengshi Investment Management and Ho Fu Kee Noodles from importing workers for two years after they violated Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme rules, including failing to hire qualified local applicants and falsifying recruitment results.
HONG KONG — Two employers have been sanctioned for violating requirements under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS). The Labor Department announced on Monday that it has barred both companies from applying to import workers for two years, effective immediately.
The employers, Shengshi Investment Management Co., Limited and Ho Fu Kee Noodles (Tsuen Wan) Limited, were found to have breached ESLS regulations while applying to import dishwashers.
According to authorities, Shengshi imposed unauthorised recruitment terms without department approval, submitted falsified local recruitment results, and failed to hire a qualified local applicant without a reasonable excuse. Ho Fu Kee Noodles similarly failed to hire a qualified applicant without a valid reason.
“If an employer violates labour or immigration laws, ESLS requirements, or the Standard Employment Contract, the LD will impose an administrative sanction, such sanctions may include stopping the processing of the employer’s pending applications, withdrawing previously granted approvals to import workers, and refusing to process any subsequent applications from the employer,” a department spokesperson said.
The ESLS is designed to help employers fill vacancies when local workers are unavailable. Under the scheme, employers must first make genuine efforts to recruit locally before turning to imported labour. The penalties follow a government push to strengthen enforcement of local hiring rules.
