Noting that the Administration had put in place various employment programmes to enhance the employability of job-seekers, Mr CHAN Kin-por sought information on the participation rates of such programmes. Mr CHAN asked whether, apart from providing training allowance to employers for employing target job-seekers, the Administration would provide other incentives to employers.
Commissioner for Labour (“C for L”) said that of the some 9,400 participants of the Youth Pre-employment Training Programme and Youth Work Experience and Training Scheme in 2011-2012, 3,800 or so were placed in jobs or training vacancies of the programme. As regards participants of the Employment Programme for the Middle-aged and the Work Orientation and Placement Scheme, some 3,000 to 4,000 of them found employment in each of the past three years.
Mr CHAN Kin-por enquired whether enhancement measures would be taken to encourage more employers to participate in these employment programmes. C for L said that efforts had been made to promote various employment programmes to employers. He drew members’ attention to the fact that as a result of the vibrant economy in the past few years, the overall unemployment rate remained low. Most participants of these employment programmes were job-seekers with different degree of employment difficulties.