The government says it will explore more ways for the public to report illegal workers, including via social media platforms Xiaohongshu and WeChat.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang on Wednesday said he was "satisfied" with the existing reporting mechanism, but extra options could be brought in.

Tang was responding to a question from lawmaker Peter Shiu on the possibility of introducing monetary rewards for identifying illegal workers.

"Each month, we receive on average around 800 reports of suspected illegal labour, which is a significant number. We also conduct inspections, averaging over 1,500 per month," Tang said in the legislature.

"We shall review whether there is a need to bring in rewards. So far, the reporting situation has been quite satisfactory."

Currently, reports can be made to immigration authorities via a hotline or the internet.

Lawmakers Edward Leung and Chau Siu-chung pointed to cases that saw suspected illegal workers allegedly hired to renovate flats while living in them.

The minister, in response, said law enforcement officers will continue to gather intelligence and maintain contact with estate management companies.

"Methods of illegal employment are constantly evolving, with new schemes emerging every day to deceive us. However, it's not easy to fool us," Tang said.

"We stay abreast of new developments in the community and adopt different approaches to address them."