Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu speaks to the media ahead of an Executive Council meeting on June 20, 2023. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

HONG KONG – The government would make a “bigger pie” to ensure that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region secures sufficient labor for economic development, the city’s leader said on Tuesday.

Addressing the media ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said he understood the views of the labor side and emphasized that the policy of labor import would prioritize the employment of local workers.

“The wage for local workers will be protected while that for imported labor cannot be lower than the median income,” he said.

On the proposed two-year lifting of an labor import ban for 26 low-skilled job types, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the government would ensure employers made local recruitments seriously beforehand and each import application would be vetted, instead of given automatic approval

The policy was mainly targeted to transportation and construction sectors, Lee said, adding that there would also be an import quota.

The application of technology would also be increased and training would be provided for local workers in a bid to address the shortage of workers and expand labor supply, said the CE.

ALSO READ: Hong Kong to import 20,000 workers to ease labor woes

On the proposed two-year lifting of an labor import ban for 26 low-skilled job types, Lee said the government would ensure employers made local recruitments seriously beforehand and each import application would be vetted, instead of given automatic approval.

For those applications, the government would consult the Labor Advisory Board, he said, adding that it would also review the importation scheme every six months.

Pointing out that a number of sectors experienced difficulty in recruitment, Lee said the government needed to ensure Hong Kong had sufficient labor so that the city could operate well and then the quality of the services would not fall.

“We hope our economy can benefit as a result of our various measures so that the city can continue to grow. We will make a 'bigger pie' to ensure there is vibrancy in our economy. That is important to all sectors and our local labor force.”

READ MORE: HK plans to import over 10,000 workers to ease labor crunch

Asked about a private member's bill proposed by lawmaker Cheung Yu-yan, Lee said a private member's bill and its procedure was governed by the Basic Law and also the Legislative Council regulations and rules and any LegCo member who proposed a bill would have to act in accordance with all these procedures and rules.

The government had given its permission for the bill to proceed in accordance with the laid-down procedures, he said, adding that he had no more comment other than wishing that LegCo would go ahead with dealing with the matter in accordance with such rules and procedures.