Hong Kong raises imported worker ratio to 3:1 for ESLS catering roles

How the two-tier ESLS now works

Hong Kong's Labour Department tightened the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme on June 16, splitting employer applications into two tiers and raising the local-to-imported worker ratio for frontline food and beverage roles to 3:1.

Tier 1 keeps the existing 2:1 ratio and a four-week local recruitment window for most non-catering posts. Tier 2 covers specified F&B jobs in kitchen production and table service, including cooks, junior cooks, barbecue cooks, drink makers, bar supervisors, waiters, restaurant supervisors, receptionists and cashiers. The 3:1 ratio is calculated across the entire kitchen team or table-service team, not the venue as a whole.

Tier 2 employers must also run a six-week local recruitment exercise and attend a Labour Department job fair at least once every two weeks during that period. Serious or repeated breaches can bar an employer from the scheme for up to five years and the department will publish the names of sanctioned operators.

Who feels the squeeze

Restaurants, hotels and bars relying on imported staff for frontline service take the direct hit. Non-local workers eyeing those same roles will find sponsorship harder to secure because each imported hire now requires three local full-timers in the same functional section.

Skilled expats in management, finance, tech and other professional fields are generally unaffected, since they typically apply through the General Employment Policy rather than ESLS. Tourists and short-stay visitors see no change to entry rules. Remote workers on visitor status remain outside the scheme entirely, though working for a Hong Kong employer without an employment visa is still unlawful.

Costs, contracts and what changed for workers

Imported workers must still be paid no less than the local median wage for the position. Employers can now deduct up to 20% of wages for accommodation, up from 10%, capped at actual housing cost and barred from pushing pay below the median. Deployment across districts expanded from three to five administrative districts, provided those areas are listed in the original local recruitment ad.

The ESLS levy stays at HKD 400 per imported worker, with standard contracts running up to 24 months and no automatic renewal. Hiring a local person with a disability triggers a special 1:1 ratio credit against the imported headcount.

Read our full Hong Kong guide for the complete picture.