Hong Kong: new round of Employment Support Scheme from May to July 2022

Published On - 27 April, 2022

Albert Hui Hong Kong

The Hong Kong SAR Government has announced a new round of Employment Support Scheme (ESS) to provide financial support to employers to retain their employees with wages subsidy during the three-month period from May to July 2022.

Details of the 2022 ESS and the latest improvements announced are as follows:

  1. Eligible employers will receive fixed amount subsidies of HK$8,000 for each full-time employee with a mandatory provident fund account. Non-full-time workers are entitled to a 50 percent wage subsidy.
  2. This subsidy covers the three-month period from May to July 2022. During that period, employers receiving wage subsidies will be required to continue employing at least the same number of employees in respect of whom wage subsidies are received.
  3. Unlike the first round of ESS in 2020, all employers are required to use this subsidy exclusively for the payment of the relevant employee’s wages.
  4. Employers of more than 100 employees in sectors considered by the Government as not being affected by the pandemic are excluded from the scope of ESS 2022, meaning they can only claim subsidies for their first 100 employees. The list of restricted sectors includes (amongst others) supermarkets, pharmacies, property management companies, banks, financial institutions, insures, public utilities, estate agents, and real estate developers.
  5. The 2022 ESS will open for application on Friday (April 29th). The application period will last for two weeks, with a view to disburse payments to the first batch of successful applicants in early May.

Should you need additional information about the eligibility criteria or seek support for the application process, please do not hesitate to contact our team at contact@orbis alliance.com.