Secretary for Labour & Welfare Matthew Cheung launched the Family-friendly Employment Practical Guidelines for the Catering Industry today.
The guidelines make recommendations on work arrangements and operational matters. Mr Cheung called on the catering industry to use them to enhance its image and attract more staff.
Hong Kong's catering industry employs more than 242,000 people, accounting for 6.4% of the city's workforce.
The Labour Department recorded 988,000 private sector vacancies between January and September, among which 16.5% or 163,000 vacancies originated from the catering industry, an increase of 11.1% over the same period last year.
Mr Cheung said it will remain a major challenge for the industry to attract and retain talent as reflected by the keen manpower demand.
"Employers can no longer just rely on salary increases to recruit and retain good employees in Hong Kong today. This is due to the increasing expectations of employees for a balance between work and family life alongside the development of society. In addition to pay rises, employees are increasingly concerned about their families and quality of life at the same time."
Mr Cheung hopes the guidelines become a good example for other industries to implement more family-friendly employment practices.
