Permanent Secretary for Economic Development and Labour (Labour) at the Opening Ceremony of the Education & Careers Expo 2007 on Thursday, 1 February 2007

Mr (Stephen) Ip, Fred (Lam), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning. Welcome to the Education & Careers Expo 2007.

First of all, I would like to thank Mr. Ip, Secretary for Economic Development and Labour for sparing the time from his hectic schedule to officiate at this opening ceremony. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council for their efforts in co-organising this important and meaningful event with the Labour Department.

In tandem with Hong Kong's robust economic growth, our overall employment situation in the past year continued to improve. The latest unemployment rate has dropped to 4.4%, the lowest since the beginning of 2001, while the number of unemployed fell to a 66-month low of 157,100, the first time below the 160,000 mark since mid-2001. The Labour Department received nearly 480,000 vacancies from the private sector and achieved about 119,000 placements in 2006, surpassing the 2005 figures by about 13% and 5% respectively. Both were all-time high figures.

Despite these improvements, young people, especially school leavers, invariably face difficulties in finding jobs because of their lack of work experience. To enhance the employability of young people aged 15 to 24, the Labour Department launched the Youth Pre-employment Training Programme in 1999 and the Youth Work Experience and Training Scheme in 2002. So far, over 120,000 youngsters have benefited from the two programmes. As announced in the 2006-07 Policy Agenda, the Labour Department will set up later this year two Youth Employment Resource Centres to provide one-stop advisory and support services on employment and self-employment to youths aged between 15 to 29. This underlines the Government's commitment to promoting the sustainable development of our youths.

The Education & Careers Expo is celebrating its 17th anniversary this year. This annual fixture attracted close to 200,000 visitors last year. It will continue to provide the most up-to-date and comprehensive information on the employment market and education opportunities to visitors this year. The theme of this year's Expo is "Reaching Out for Brighter Prospects". I hope that our young people will grasp this golden opportunity to equip themselves for the increasingly competitive, knowledge-based and globalised world of work.

This Expo pulls together 498 organizations. Visitors who plan to pursue further studies or attain higher qualifications will find the great diversity of programmes in the Education Section useful. As for the Careers Section, the exhibitors comprise a good mix of government departments, private enterprises, professional associations and training bodies. The rich and first-hand information available here will certainly help job-seekers make sensible decisions on their career choice. As with the case last year, we have put in place a theme zone for the fast growing Financial Planning Industry. This zone provides one-stop career guidance for those interested in joining the profession.

Finally, I would like to thank all the exhibitors and participants most warmly for their dedication and continued support. I am sure that their efforts will turn the visit to this Expo into a fruitful experience. Thank you.