430,000 Applications for the Hong Kong Employment Support Scheme
Response Has Been Well-received by the Public Since the Announcement
A total of 428,659 applications have been received by the Government for the Hong Kong Employment Support Scheme (ESS). Applications closed on 15 June 2020.
Out of the total, 168,799 applications were from employers. The remaining 259,860 were from self-employed persons (SEPs) in Hong Kong. The public has responded well to the ESS. Employers generally viewed the scheme as meeting their needs. Applications were submitted through the portal smoothly. The process was not burdensome.
The Hong Kong Employment Support Scheme has distributed around $4.8 billion so far in the first batch of payments to employers. This is estimated to benefit around 200,000 employees. 95% of employers who received the subsidies were small to medium sized enterprises. These had less than 50 employees. The subsidies are meant to help with the wage payments.
The first batch of applicants received a $7,500 subsidy to each assigned bank account. The estimated total involved is $180 million. The second batch of subsidy distribution details will be announced later. Payments are set to be made from September to November 2020.
Successful applicants of the Hong Kong Employment Support Scheme are notified by SMS and email. Applicants can also log into their ESS portals to check the subsidy granted.
