The Labour Department (LD) announced today (October 10) that the records of conviction, revocation/refusal of renewal of licence and written warnings of employment agencies (EAs) will be published at its online Employment Agencies Portal (EA Portal) (www.eaa.labour.gov.hk) starting from today.

     The following three lists will be published at the EA Portal:

(a) A list of EAs convicted of the offences of overcharging or unlicensed operation. A record will be published for a period of 24 months;

(b) A list of EAs whose licences were revoked/refused renewal. A record will be published for a period of 12 months; and

(c) A list of EAs which were issued written warnings for non-compliance with the Code of Practice for EAs. A record will be published for a period of 12 months.

     A spokesman for LD said, "There have been longstanding requests from the community, including users of EA services, to enhance transparency and facilitate public access to EAs' track records. To better protect the interests of the public, the LD consulted relevant stakeholders and conducted a public consultation from August 10 to September 7 on the proposal (www.eaa.labour.gov.hk/_res/pdf/EAA_Consultation_2018.pdf) to publish the aforementioned three lists on the EA Portal."

     The spokesman added, "The views received during the consultation generally supported the proposal, recognising that it would enhance transparency and enable job seekers (including foreign domestic helpers) and employers to make better informed decisions and avoid falling prey to unscrupulous EAs or EAs without a valid licence when engaging the related services. The enhanced transparency would also foster the adoption of good practices by the EA industry. Having considered the views received, the LD decided to roll out the initiative as proposed in the consultation paper." 

     The aforementioned three lists will be maintained on the EA Portal, which will be updated regularly to ensure accuracy of the information displayed. Job seekers and employers are encouraged to make reference to the lists before engaging the services of EAs.

     For enquiries, please call the hotline of the LD's Employment Agencies Administration at 2115 3667.

Ends/Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Issued at HKT 15:30

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