The Chief Executive in Council on Wednesday approved the introduction of a special scheme to import 3,000 care home workers next year, in a bid to tackle what it called an extreme shortage of labour in the sector.

The idea was put forward in CE John Lee's maiden policy address.

Currently, only private homes can hire non-locals, but the scheme allows all homes to do so.

The Labour and Welfare Bureau said the scheme would extend the number of imported care workers to a maximum of 7,000, but it still expects a shortage of workers in the trade because of new homes.

"Even if all the quotas under the special scheme are approved, it is estimated that at least 1,500 vacancies will have to be filled by local job seekers," a bureau spokesman said, adding that natural turnover and expansion of the sector will mean more opportunities for locals.

He said homes will have to employ at least one local for every non-local they hire. They must also prove that they tried and failed to recruit all the staff they need locally before they can apply to import workers.

Local recruits must be paid more than the imported workers, the spokesman said, and the non-locals' salary must be higher than the median monthly wage for a care worker, as listed in government data.

The bureau said the scheme is not limited to hiring people from the mainland, although that's where existing imported workers come from and this is because they need to be able to communicate with care home residents.

It said it hopes to implement the scheme in the second quarter of next year, and that the vetting of applications can be cut short from five months under the existing Supplementary Labour Scheme, to two months.

Federation of Trade Unions' lawmaker Kingsley Wong said he and his colleagues are upset by the move and officials didn't consult unions before going ahead with the plan.

"Applications to import labour under the existing labour scheme are vetted by the Labour Advisory Board. This is important in protecting local workers, that they have the priority for jobs," he told reporters.

"But this special scheme avoids the labour sector's supervision. Without effective supervision, there will be abuse."

He said officials should increase pay so that local people join the care home sector.