A Government spokesman said today (May 13) that at the close of applications for the 2022 Employment Support Scheme (2022 ESS) at 11.59pm last night (May 12), the Government had received 176 000 applications from employers, involving about 1 660 000 employees. The response has been overwhelming. Both the number of applications and the number of employees exceed the original estimate by the Government. Moreover, 119 000 self-employed persons (SEPs) submitted their applications.

 

     The spokesman said, “The 2022 ESS, together with the Consumption Voucher Scheme, encourage employers to retain their current employees or even employ more staff members, full-time or part-time, as the epidemic stabilises. It can prevent the unemployment rate from rising further and accelerate the rebound of the local economy as the fifth wave of the epidemic subsides. Together with the one-off subsidy for eligible SEPs, we estimate the whole scheme will involve a total subsidy of around $39 billion.

 

     “We have approved the first batch of around 45 000 applications from employers on May 10. These employers have committed to employ around 300 000 employees in May. Most of them should be receiving the wage subsidies of May within these two days. If the wage subsidies cannot be credited to the employers’ bank account successfully, the government-appointed agent will contact the relevant employers as early as possible to make other arrangements. The Government is processing the remaining applications at full steam, striving to finish vetting the second batch of applications next week.”

     A Government spokesman said today (April 29) that the 2022 Employment Support Scheme (2022 ESS) started off with an overwhelming response on its first day of the two-week application period.

 

     “The online application portal was launched at 8am today and has been operating smoothly throughout the day. Up to 6pm today, we have received a total of over 42 000 applications from employers and about 27 000 applications from self-employed persons ,” the Government spokesman said.

 

     The 2022 ESS provides three-month wage subsidies (i.e. May to July 2022) to eligible employers. There are a two-tier subsidy rates – a flat rate of $8,000 per month for each eligible employee with monthly income of $8,000 or more; and a flat rate of $4,000 per month for each employee with monthly income of $3,000 or more but less than $8,000, or each employee aged 65 or above earning less than $3,000 each month. Moreover, the scheme provides a one-off subsidy of $8,000 to eligible self-employed persons. Employers and self-employed persons should submit their applications online through the 2022 ESS website (www.ess.gov.hk/en/) by 11.59pm on May 12 (Thursday).

 

     “To provide more flexibility for employers under the 2022 ESS, the actual subsidy amount and committed employee headcount are calculated based on employers’ chosen subsidised headcount. The 2020 ESS records or the records as at the fourth quarter of 2021 (2021 Q4 records) only serve as the cap for employers’ chosen subsidised headcount. Therefore, for applicants who were granted 2020 ESS subsidy and expect the number of employees during the subsidy period will be less, we suggest these applicants choosing the 2020 ESS records as the basis for calculating the cap.  This is because the 2020 ESS records can provide enough subsidy headcount while having the advantages of shortening the vetting procedure and enabling faster payment,” the Government spokesman said.

 

     Before filling out the online application form, applicants are advised to have the information and documents required ready and read the terms and conditions to ensure that the information to be submitted is complete and meets the vetting requirements. Applicants may refer to the 2022 ESS website (www.ess.gov.hk/en/) to understand more about the eligibility criteria and information required.

     Enquiries can be made through the hotline at 183 6122 or live chat function at the 2022 ESS website or by email to enquiry@ess.gov.hk.

 

     If applicants need assistance in person, they may schedule an appointment through the hotline (183 6122) and visit one of the five service centres.

 

Addresses of the service centres are as follows (appointments must be made through the hotline first):

Room 1501, AT Tower, 180 Electric Road, North Point

Suite 1004, Kwun Tong View, 410 Kwun Tong Road, Kwun Tong

Suite 601-2, 9 Wing Hong Street, Cheung Sha Wan

Suite 2310, Metropole Square, 2 On Yiu Street, Shek Mun, Shatin

Units 3301-3303, 33/F The Octagon, 6 Sha Tsui Rd, Tsuen Wan

 

Service hours of the service centres:

During application period (April 29 to May 12): 9am to 6pm