Hundreds Of Thousands Apply For Employment Subsidy

The Hong Kong government on Monday said it has received around 428,000 applications in the first phase of its coronavirus employment subsidy scheme.

Applications for the first round of subsidies closed on Sunday night, and about 60 percent of the applications came from self-employed people.

The government said it had already handed out some HK$4.8 billion to about 25,000 employers, and it plans to contact more employers and individuals this week.

It will announce details of the second phase of applications later.

In April, the government announced it will pay 50 percent of workers' salaries for six months, with the monthly subsidy for each worker capped at HK$9,000 – this being half of the city's median salary of HK$18,000.

The subsidy will be handed out as long as employers promise not to fire staff, and that funds go straight to employees.