HR Office and Labour Affairs Bureau to amalgamate

The Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) and the Human Resources Office (GRH) will be combined, the Executive Council has declared in a press conference. The MSAR Government decided to fuse them to ‘optimise the performance of the human resources and labour areas, and reorganise the structure of Public Administration’, Executive Council spokesperson Leong Heng Teng announced. Following the merger the DSAL will also start processing company requests for hiring non-residents and the number of DSAL personnel will increase to 320 with 92 employees added to the GRH.
The Executive Council spokesperson also stated the current DSAL budget of MOP300 million (US$37.51 million) and the GRH budget of MOP50 million will also be combined, with the DSAL continuing to be managed by a director and two sub-directors, maintaining the current structure of six departments and twelve divisions, but will restructure four sections with the adding of the GRH personnel. However, no information was available on what functions the GRH co-ordinators will have after the merger.
“The fusion will allow [us] to access company information faster, optimising the human resources area and employment opportunities for resident workers,” DSAL director Wong Chi Hong stated in the press conference.
When questioned if the restructuring would speed up SME’s requests for non-resident workers’ work permits, the DSAL director said “ we always have SEM’s interest in mind, but creating job opportunities for resident workers is always our priority.”