The Development Bureau today announced that the subsidy offered to construction sector employers who have employed casual employees on a long-term basis will be open for application from July 6 to 31.

If an employer in the construction sector has made contributions for a "casual employee" under the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) Industry Schemes for at least 15 days in March this year, the employee will be regarded as a qualified employee.

Such employers may apply for a subsidy of $36,000 per qualified employee.

Successful applicants have to undertake not to make their employees redundant between August 2020 and January 2021 and must spend the full amount of the subsidy on paying wages to their qualified employees.

The Government has appointed the Construction Industry Council (CIC) to handle applications and subsidy disbursement.

Applicants will have to download the application from the CIC's website and submit completed forms together with supporting documents via email.

Applicants must also authorise the MPF trustees to provide their MPF contribution data in March this year and from August 2020 to January 2021 directly to the Government and the CIC.

The bureau expects the subsidy will be disbursed within six to eight weeks upon receipt of applications.

The CIC will notify applicants of their results via email and arrange subsidy disbursement by autopay.

The one-off subsidy of $20,000 offered to eligible suppliers of construction-related machinery and equipment rental under the second round of the Anti-epidemic Fund is open for application from June 23 until August 31.

Applicants must submit completed application forms and supporting documents to the department by email.

The Government has launched two rounds of the Anti-epidemic Fund. As of yesterday, a total of more than $4.3 billion in subsidies had been disbursed to 440,000 construction workers and 16,000 construction-related enterprises.