Restaurant barred from hiring non-local workers after providing false info in application

Waso Cafe, a restaurant in Prince Edward, has been barred from hiring non-local workers after falsely providing information to the Labour Department in its application under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS). This scheme, introduced in 2023, aimed to address Hong Kong's manpower shortage by allowing the recruitment of non-local workers, primarily migrants from mainland China.

After an investigation, the Labour Department found that Waso had breached the scheme's requirements by submitting false information during the local recruitment process. Consequently, the restaurant was served an administrative sanction, and its application was terminated under the ESLS. The statement from the department emphasized that employers must comply strictly with the scheme's requirements, prioritizing the hiring of suitable local workers.

The new rules introduced in June require employers to maintain a stricter staffing ratio of three local employees for every imported worker, including roles such as cooks, junior cooks, waiters, receptionists, drink makers, and bar supervisors. To protect the local workforce, imported laborers must be paid a wage equal to, or higher than, the median monthly salary for their respective positions.

As of May 2026, there are approximately 24,300 non-local workers employed in the food and beverage services sector, representing about 45% of the 54,000 non-local workers under the ESLS scheme. The government has received over 1,000 complaints regarding the scheme, leading to sanctions against several employers, including a Chinese restaurant that was barred from hiring non-local workers for two years for firing local employees to hire non-local ones.