Legco approves HK$43bn for employment support subsidy

Legco’s Finance Committee on Tuesday approved HK$43 billion for the government’s new round of employment support subsidies, with authorities saying they plan to start accepting applications later this month.

The relaunched scheme aims to help employers pay salaries for their staff amid the fifth wave of Covid.

From May to July, each business stands to receive up to HK$8,000 per month for each eligible worker, but the employees to benefit is capped at 1,000 per company.

Some industries that weren’t hard hit by the epidemic, such as supermarkets and pharmacies, had originally been excluded from the scheme, but smaller businesses that employ no more than 100 staff will now be eligible.

Earlier, officials also removed a HK$30,000 salary cap for workers to be subsidised.

The government said it hopes that the subsidies can be dished out as early as in May.

Some 1.74 million employees are expected to benefit from the scheme.