Hong Kong introduces a two-tier vetting system for its labour importation scheme, effective Tuesday. The new regulations aim to protect local jobs by requiring employers to hire more local staff and face stricter penalties for non-compliance.
Hong Kong proposes new fire safety amendments, including a smoking ban at construction sites, following the deadly Wang Fuk Court inferno. The rules take effect July 17 after Legco approval.
US jobless claims dropped to 209,000 for the week ending May 16, fewer than expected. Despite low layoffs, the labor market is in a "low-hire, low-fire" state. The Iran war and Strait of Hormuz closure add economic uncertainty and have driven up oil and gas prices.
A Labour Department official has told an inquiry into Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po inferno that the temporary removal of fireproof windows from emergency passages in the blaze-hit estate complied with occupational safety protocols, triggering questions on whether the interests of workers and residents are at odds. The inquiry also heard on Tuesday that a department officer had misled Wang Fuk Court residents by claiming the fire resistance of renovation material was outside the purview of the law,...
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong labour authorities’ handling of Wang Fuk Court residents’ complaints and inspections at the renovation site were scrutinised by the independent committee on the 16th day of its evidential hearing. Officers from the Labour Department testified on Tuesday before the judge-led panel investigating the fire that engulfed all but one of the estate’s eight...
An independent committee will scrutinise the Labour Department's handling of residents' complaints and inspections at Wang Fuk Court before the deadly November 2025 fire that killed 168 people. Officers are scheduled to testify about stepped-up inspections in response to numerous complaints, while the hearing was told workers may have smoked on site during unannounced inspections. Residents had allegedly flagged concerns about scaffolding mesh, styrofoam boards and workers' smoking to authorities, who allegedly failed to respond effectively.
An independent committee investigating Hong Kong's deadliest fire since 1948 will examine Labour Department officers' handling of resident complaints and site inspections at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. The November fire killed 168 people and displaced about 5,000 residents. The first witness testified that the department stepped up inspections after complaints, while conceding workers may have smoked on site. Residents had repeatedly flagged concerns about non-fire-retardant scaffolding mesh, styrofoam boards and workers' smoking to authorities, who allegedly failed to respond effectively.
