UPDATES OF THE GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS – HONG KONG

Employment Support Scheme

The HKSAR Government has launched the “Employment Support Scheme” (ESS) under the second round of the “Anti-epidemic Fund” to provide time-limited financial support to employers to retain employees who may otherwise be made redundant.

The Government will provide wage subsidies to eligible employers and self-employed persons. Subsidies for eligible employers will be disbursed in two tranches. The first tranche of subsidies will cover the period from June to August 2020, while the second tranche will cover the period from September to November 2020.  Applicants should complete the application form online and upload the required supporting documents before submission of application within the application period.

Online applications for the first tranche of subsidies for the eligible employers will open from 25 May to 14 June 2020.  The second tranche of subsidies will be disbursed in September 2020 and the respective application details will be announced in due course.  On the other hand, online application for the one-off lump-sum subsidy for self-employed persons will also open from 25 May to 14 June 2020.

For details of the Scheme, please refer to the following official link: https://www.ess.gov.hk/zh/index.html