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Following is a question by the Hon Cheung Hok-ming and a reply by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Professor Arthur K C Li, in the Legislative Council today (June 28):
Question:
Regarding the unemployed people with low education levels and low skills in Hong Kong, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the latest unemployment rate of the above-mentioned people, the estimated number as well as the age and gender profiles of such people at the end of 2008, and how these figures compare to the current figures (in age groups of 10 years each);
(b) of the proportion of new immigrants in the above estimated unemployed population in 2008; and
(c) whether in respect of the above-mentioned unemployed people, in particular new immigrants, the Government will adopt measures to enhance their work skills, facilitate their participation in the workforce, and reduce inter-generational poverty; if it will, of the details of such measures, and the roles and tasks to be performed by various bureaux?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) and (b) According to the findings of the General Household Survey for the first quarter of 2006, the unemployment rates of people with low education levels (i.e. lower secondary level or below) and low skills by age group and sex are set out at Annex to the written reply.
The Government does not have the estimated number of unemployed population for 2008. In addition, the Government does not compile or publish any unemployment figures for new arrivals.
(c) The Government departments and organisations concerned have made tremendous efforts in implementing various measures to alleviate the unemployment problem of people with low education levels and low skills. The measures include retraining, skills upgrading and different employment programmes, which also cater for the needs of new arrivals. The details are as follows:
(1) Skills upgrading
The Government provides retraining services to the unemployed (including new arrivals) with low education levels through the Employees Retraining Board (ERB). The ERB will provide some 100 000 training places for the unemployed in 2006/07. Moreover, since 1997, the ERB has been providing "Job Search Skills" courses which aim at introducing to new arrivals the local labour market and employment situation, equip them with necessary job search skills, help them develop a positive working attitude and get them prepared for employment.
To enhance the quality of the local workforce, the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) allocated $400 million in 2001 to set up the Skills Upgrading Scheme to provide targeted in-service training for workers with education at or below secondary level. The purpose of the Scheme is to upgrade their vocational skills and employability so as to cope with the future developments of the industries concerned. In addition, to promote lifelong learning, the EMB set up a $5 billion Continuing Education Fund in 2002 to offer financial assistance to people aged between 18 and 60 with learning aspirations. All eligible new arrivals may apply for the Skills Upgrading Scheme and the Continuing Education Fund.
(2) Promoting employment
The Labour Department (LD) provides a comprehensive range of free employment assistance and counselling services to job-seekers through its ten job centres, the Telephone Employment Service Centre and the web-based Interactive Employment Service.
Besides, a number of special employment programmes are being implemented by the LD to help the unemployed, in particular those with low education levels and low skills, to re-enter the workforce. These include the Job Matching Programme, the Employment Programme for the Middle-aged and the Work Trial Scheme. These services also cater for the needs of the new arrivals.
In addition, the LD has set up resource corners in its job centres to provide comprehensive employment information for new arrivals. Regular employment briefings for new arrivals are organised to help them understand the local labour market and acquire job search and interview skills. The Vacancy Search Terminals at the job centres and the Interactive Employment Service website are equipped with software using traditional and simplified Chinese to meet the needs of different job-seekers. Telephones, fax machines, computers with Internet connection and resume-building software are available in the job centres for use by job-seekers. Job-seekers can complete the entire job searching process and receive job referral service through this one-stop service.
Apart from the LD, the Social Welfare Department has also commissioned non-governmental organisations to operate various projects under the Intensive Employment Assistance Projects (including job matching, vocational skills training and employment counseling) to help the unemployed Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients and near CSSA recipients (including people with low education levels and low skills and new arrivals) to overcome difficulties in finding jobs and to rejoin the workforce. The estimated expenditure of the Projects including administrative support expenses for 2006-2007 is $77.3 million. Funding will come from the Lottery Fund, Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and the Government.
(3) Alleviation of Inter-generational Poverty
We agree that the healthy development of children and youth is instrumental to the prevention and alleviation of inter-generational poverty. In 2004/05, Government's investment in programmes and services for the children and youth totalled around $60 billion, of which about 25% (i.e. $15 billion) was specifically used on the provision of services for children and youth from disadvantaged families, including the provision of childcare service and support for low-income families and various student financial assistance schemes.
One of the services is the Comprehensive Child Development Service launched by the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau, which aims at augmenting the existing universal service in our Maternal and Child Health Centres through the alignment of the delivery of health, education and social services. The Service would enable the early identification of the various needs of children aged 0 to five and those of their families (including new arrivals) so that timely services can be offered to them.
Starting from the 2005/06 school year, the EMB would earmark $75 million per annum for conducting School-based After-school Learning and Support Programmes and introducing small class teaching to schools with a high concentration of disadvantaged students; as well as provide $2 million per annum to Uniformed Groups and The Hong Kong Award for Young People for operating assistance schemes for their needy student members. Moreover, the EMB set up the Task Force on Continuing Development and Employment-related Training for Youth in 2004. The Task Force is responsible for the administration of the $50 million Youth Sustainable Development and Engagement Fund set up by the Government to subsidise new initiatives and pilot schemes to promote employment opportunities for the unemployed youth.
Ends/Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Issued at HKT 13:04
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