Most hotel workers in Hong Kong having to take unpaid leave as occupancy rates take hit from ongoing protests, survey finds
- Survey of workers from more than 40 three- to five-star hotels finds occupancy rates fell to as low as 30 per cent on average for the first half of August
- Some 77 per cent of staff say they have been asked to take between one and three days of unpaid leave
Hotel occupancy rates dropped by at least 30 percentage points in August year on year, according to a lawmaker citing official figures.
A survey of workers from more than 40 three- to five-star hotels found that occupancy rates had fallen to as low as 30 per cent on average for the first half of August. Some five-star hotels had seen occupancy rates of little more than 10 per cent.
Some 77 per cent of staff who responded to the survey by the Hotel, Food and Beverage Employees Association said they had been asked to take between one and three days of unpaid leave, costing them up to HK$3,000 in wages, a drop of 10 per cent in monthly pay. More than two in five respondents said they expected their employers to lay-off staff.
“The hotel I work at has closed eight floors, almost half of the hotel,” a worker told a press conference held by the association on Tuesday.
He said the hotel had stopped hiring temporary workers to save costs. “It’s the first time I’ve seen the manager, who usually wears a suit, washing dishes,” he said.