Temporary scheme should be extended to steer sector to safety and plug gaps in ageing workforce, operators say
Hong Kong has brought in more than 800 minibus drivers from mainland China as part of a temporary solution to the city’s labour shortage, with operators hopeful the scheme will be extended to help plug gaps in the ageing workforce.
Minibus companies made the appeal after authorities reiterated that importing labour was only a “short-term” fix and that the workers were not meant to stay in the city in the long run.
The government launched the labour import scheme in 2023 for three sectors that had been hard hit by manpower shortages. The transport sector has been allowed to recruit up to 900 minibus drivers.
The Transport Department said it had approved the applications that it received from operators before March of last year.
