Use Public Money To Top Up Salaries: Lawmakers

Unionist lawmakers on Friday put forward a series of requests ahead of the financial secretary's next budget address, including another round of spending vouchers and subsidies to entice people into sectors facing worker shortages.

The Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions said instead of importing workers from outside the city, the government should spend money on getting more locals into jobs.

Election Committee legislator Lam Chun-sing, who chairs the federation, suggested the government should set up a one-year scheme providing a HK$5,000 monthly allowance for each worker in areas with staff shortages, including the logistics, care home and catering sectors.

"We hope the government can provide incentives to those industries, for example, wages allowances, so that the employer can relieve their financial burden, provide some on-job training and increase their salary to attract more local workers to join the industry," Lam said.

Lam also said many women would like to find jobs but can't do so because they have to look after their children, and the government should allocate resources to childcare services.

"After school, when teachers are off-duty, we [can] provide some resources to the NGO and the child care workers. They can enter the school and take care of the children until the evening," he said.

Meanwhile, the federation also called on the government to dish out a new round of spending vouchers - at least HK$5,000 per person.

"Consumption voucher concept is different from other relief measures. It can stimulate our economic activities, especially in the catering industry, retail, and other service industries. Last year, the government said that the consumption voucher can push up the economy and increase the economic activities by 1.2 percent," Lam said.