Complaints to Hong Kong’s equality watchdog about firings linked to suspected disability discrimination have more than doubled over the past five years, with concern groups attributing the rise to corporate restructuring and widespread lay-offs amid the economic downturn.
The South China Morning Post obtained figures from the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) showing that the watchdog received 490 complaints of alleged disability discrimination in the employment field last year, up 72 per cent from 285 in 2021.
Of these, complaints involving dismissal more than doubled over the same period, increasing from 132 in 2021 to 282 in 2025.
An EOC spokesman said the increase in complaints was due to various factors, including greater public awareness and the reporting of discrimination incidents on social and mainstream media, encouraging more victims to come forward.
He said the proportion of disability-related complaints had remained steady over the years.
But, in terms of employment-related complaints, the figures showed that the EOC received 640 overall in 2021, with disability-related reports accounting for around 45 per cent. In 2025, such complaints made up about 55 per cent of the 896 filed last year.
Among the complainants was Tonny Wong Ka-shing, who has a hearing impairment. He was fired by an NGO last September after working as a driver for just one day.
The 34-year-old said the organisation gave inconsistent explanations about his termination, first saying it no longer needed a driver and later claiming that he was inexperienced and underperformed during the job interview.
“I was shocked and disappointed to be dismissed after only a day on the job,” Wong said, questioning why he was hired if he performed poorly in the interview. “The reasons given were contradictory, inconsistent and lacked any objective basis.”
Wong brought the case to the EOC, but was told that it lacked sufficient evidence to pursue the complaint and initiate mediation.
“The EOC said I needed more direct evidence, for example, that my employer explicitly said the termination of my employment was due to my hearing impairment,” Wong said.
“But how could an NGO be so foolish [as to say that]? And no one will bring a voice recorder every day and record 24 hours a day.”
After Wong complained to the Social Welfare Department, the NGO later said that the lay-off was triggered by his use of a photo of the official vehicle as his WhatsApp profile picture, an act deemed inappropriate.
Wong countered that he was never informed of the relevant requirement, but he had learned that the NGO had improved and better informed his successor about employee guidelines following his case.
He called on the EOC to handle complaints more proactively, to investigate cases and initiate mediation even without direct evidence. He also urged the government to step up supervision of NGOs’ recruitment and firing practices.
The EOC spokesman said complainants were responsible for providing sufficient information and evidence to substantiate the allegation, but it was aware of the difficulty of obtaining direct proof and would take into account the totality of circumstances.
He added that the EOC would conduct a preliminary assessment to determine whether a complaint supported the allegation and would take appropriate follow-up actions, such as early conciliation and investigation.
The complaints received by the EOC appeared to represent only the tip of the iceberg, as some people were reluctant to speak out even when facing a potentially unfair dismissal.
Raymond Lau Pak-hei, a 25-year-old with cerebral palsy, was employed as an administrative assistant at a fitness centre last year.
Despite completing his probation and believing his performance was satisfactory, even with the occasional mistake, he was suddenly laid off after nine months.
Lau questioned the company’s claim that he underperformed, saying that if his work had been unsatisfactory, his firing would have come earlier or during the probation period.
He suspected the real reason was the expiry of a nine-month government subsidy under the “Work Orientation and Placement Scheme”, which was offered to employers who hired people with disabilities.
But Lau chose not to file a complaint with the EOC or the government. “You do not burn your bridges behind you,” he said. “And I did make some mistakes at work.”
Tsan Siu Yat-chan, founder of Silence, a local charity that helps hearing-impaired people, attributed the rise in complaints to the economic downturn.
He said that people with disabilities, who might struggle to handle multiple tasks at once, often bore the brunt of cost-cutting measures.
He mentioned cases of hearing-impaired people responsible for accounting and design duties being asked to take on work requiring communication with external parties, which would be challenging for them without suitable support.
“Many companies have cut staff numbers and made their workforce multifunctional,” Siu said. “For people with disabilities, this could imply being assigned additional tasks that fall beyond their capabilities.”
Siu said that, therefore, employers often cited business restructuring or budget cuts as reasons for dismissal, which frequently led to conflicts.
Billy Wong Chun-hang, president of the Hong Kong Blind Union, described it as a perennial challenge for people with disabilities to secure jobs, and the current economic situation made their circumstances worse.
“Challenges and misunderstandings may arise [that prevent people with disabilities] from getting along with the work team,” he said, attributing such situations to a lack of understanding between the public and people with disabilities.
“When companies need to downsize and lay off staff, people with disabilities who incur extra costs of assistance and are considered more troublesome could become the targets for redundancy.”
Wong added that the high unemployment rate gave employers more choices during recruitment, reducing the opportunities for people with disabilities to be selected.
To improve the situation, Siu called on the government to increase subsidies that encouraged employers to retain staff with disabilities, while also supporting people with disabilities in starting their own businesses, such as washing cars, electrical work, renovation and transport.
“If they are given the opportunity to start their own businesses, they could hire other people with disabilities and better understand themselves,” Siu said. “This would alleviate the problem.”
Union president Wong proposed that the business sector should learn from other regions by introducing job coaching schemes for employees with disabilities to help them better understand their roles and integrate into the workplace. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
