| 1.1 |
With
the advent of globalisation, Hong Kong is rising to the
challenges brought about by economic restructuring. Despite
continued improvement in the employment market, with the
unemployment rate coming down from the record high of
8.6 per cent in mid-2003 to 6.5 per cent at the end of
2004, employment continues to be a subject of public concern.
With a proactive and pragmatic approach and given united
efforts, the Labour Department has achieved notable results
in various programme areas.
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Employment Services
Enhanced Employment
Services
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| 1.2 |
We
continue to adopt a proactive, innovative, flexible and
cost-effective approach in further strengthening our employment
service to help the unemployed re-enter the labour market
and meet the recruitment needs of employers. Ten large-scale
job bazaars and 32 mini job fairs were held in the year
to assist job-seekers in finding jobs and employers in
recruiting staff. A record high of 86 257
placements were secured through the Labour Department
in 2004. The number of vacancies solicited from the private
and public sectors, at 302 961, also broke
past records. The Interactive Employment Services (iES)
website (http://www.jobs.gov.hk)
recorded a historic high of 684 million page views in
2004 and continued to be the Government's most popular
website.
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Youth Self-employment Support Scheme (YSSS)
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| 1.3 |
With
a funding of $30 million, the YSSS was launched on a trial
basis in May 2004 to train and assist 1 500
young people aged 18 to 24 to become self-employed in
areas with business prospects, such as information technology
and multimedia applications, personal care and public
performances. As at the end of December 2004, the trainees
have conducted 1 420 business transactions
with gross profits of about $940,000 recorded.
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| Youth Work Experience and Training
Scheme (YWETS) |
| 1.4 |
YWETS
was launched in July 2002 to provide on-the-job training
of six to twelve months for young people aged between
15 and 24 with educational attainment below degree level.
With the enthusiastic support of employers and social
partners, the target to provide 10 000 training
places for young people in two years was achieved in November
2003. Given this success, another $300 million has been
allocated to extend the scheme for another two years to
place an additional 10 000 youths into jobs.
As at the end of December 2004, 18 283 trainees
were successfully placed in training vacancies under the
scheme. In addition, 10 925 trainees were
placed in other jobs in the open employment market with
the advice and assistance of their case managers.
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Ceremony
to thank the social partners of YWETS. |
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| Youth Pre-employment Training
Programme (YPTP) |
| 1.5 |
In
2004, the YPTP provided training to over 11 300
young persons aged between 15 and 19. Apart from those who
decided to pursue further studies on completion of the programme,
over 72 per cent of the trainees had secured employment.
In December 2004, the Centre for Social Policy Studies of
the Hong Kong Polytechnic University completed a comprehensive
review of the programme. The review reaffirmed the positive
role of the programme in enhancing the employability of
young school leavers and supported the continuation of the
programme. |
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Award
presentation to "The Most Improved Trainees of
YPTP". |
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| Outstanding Disabled Employees
Award and Enlightened Employers Award |
| 1.6 |
These
awards were to commend employees with disabilities for their
outstanding performance at work and employers for their
efforts in providing employment opportunities for people
with disabilities. In 2004, twelve disabled employees and
ten employers won the awards. |
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Secretary
for Economic Development and Labour Mr Stephen Ip
Shu-kwan (seventh from left) with 12 winners of the
"Outstanding Disabled Employees Award".
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Labour Relations
Record Settlement Rate
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| 1.7 |
Of the 270 labour disputes and 28 396 claims
handled in the year, 67.3 per cent were resolved by our
conciliation efforts, a record high since 1994. The waiting
time for conciliation meetings was also shortened to 3.3
weeks, much lower than the pledged level of 5 weeks. |
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| Stepping Up Enforcement Against
Wage Offences |
| 1.8 |
In
2004, the Labour Department continued to accord a high
priority to combating wage offences. Territory-wide inspection
campaigns targeted at offence-prone trades were launched.
The Employment Claims Investigation Division continued
to conduct in-depth investigation into suspected wage
offences in order to take out speedy prosecution. The
department also strengthened its educational and promotional
efforts to remind employers of their statutory obligation
to pay wages on time and to encourage employees to lodge
claims promptly and come forward as prosecution witnesses.
With rigorous enforcement efforts, a total of 504 convicted
summonses on wage offences were secured in 2004, up 13.3
per cent when compared with 445 convicted summonses in
2003. The highest fine recorded in a case involving wage
offences in 2004 was $140,000, as compared with $50,000
in 2003.
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Good People Management Award
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| 1.9 |
The Award was launched by the Labour Department to encourage
and benchmark employers in achieving good people management.
Nineteen enterprises were selected from a record high number
of 374 competing entries and granted the Award at a ceremony
officiated by the Financial Secretary. |
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Financial
Secretary Mr Henry Tang Ying-yen (first row, sixth
from left) pictured with winners of Good People Management
Award. |
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Employee Rights and Benefits
Vigorous Enforcement against Illegal Employment
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| 1.10 |
The Labour Department spared no effort in combating illegal
employment. We widely publicised our 24-hour complaint hotline
(2815 2200) to collect more intelligence and
launched more targeted operations with the Police to apprehend
illegal workers and their employers on the spot. In the
year, 104 joint operations were mounted - 189 per cent over
the corresponding figure in 2003. As a result, a record
high of suspected illegal workers (760) and employers of
these illegal workers (196) were detected. On the publicity
front, we produced and distributed a new leaflet to households
of large housing estates warning against the employment
of illegal domestic helpers. |
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Labour
inspectors detecting illegal workers in a joint operation
with the Police. |
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| Safeguarding the Rights of Employees
of Government Service Contractors |
| 1.11 |
In
2004, the Government implemented further measures to ensure
that non-skilled employees of government service contractors
received reasonable pay. Starting from May 2004, contractors
of service contracts relying heavily on the deployment of
non-skilled employees were required to pay these employees
at a rate not less than the average monthly wages for the
relevant industry/occupation as published in the Census
and Statistics Department's latest Quarterly Report of Wage
and Payroll Statistics at the time when tenders were invited.
In the year, the Labour Department also stepped up inspections
to the workplaces of these employees to detect violations
of labour laws. Irregularities detected during inspections
and offence records of the contractors were passed to the
relevant procuring departments promptly for administrative
sanctions against offending contractors. |
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| Voluntary Rehabilitation Programme
(VRP) for Employees Injured at Work |
| 1.12 |
In
November 2004, we extended the pilot VRP for injured employees
in the construction industry to the catering, transport
and manufacturing industries so that more injured workers
could be benefited. The VRP was launched in March 2003
on a pilot basis in the construction industry with the
objective of providing timely rehabilitation services
to injured workers for better and speedier recovery, and
facilitating their safe and early return to work. The
pilot programme has shown positive results in achieving
its objectives and has facilitated the rehabilitation
of 147 construction employees in its first year of implementation.
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| Protection of Wages on Insolvency
Fund Recording a Surplus |
| 1.13 |
As
Hong Kong's economy further improved, the number of applications
for the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund dropped
from 22 350 in 2003 to 13 631
in 2004. The fund recorded an average monthly surplus
of $4.08 million in 2004 and registered an overall surplus
of $49 million by year-end, the first year that the fund
recorded a surplus since the Asian financial crisis in
1997.
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Safety and Health at Work
Legislative Improvements on Container Handling Safety
and Safety Training
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| 1.14 |
The Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Safety Officers
and Safety Supervisors) Regulations were amended to extend
coverage to the container handling industry and enhance
professionalism and training of safety officers. The amendments
were brought into full operation in January 2004. To ensure
that risks to workers' safety and health are properly managed,
we brought into effect the Factories and Industrial Undertakings
(Gas Welding and Flame Cutting) Regulation in March 2004.
This requires any person performing gas welding and flame
cutting work to hold a valid certificate obtained after
completing a recognised training course. |
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Safety Award Schemes
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| 1.15 |
Two safety award schemes were organised in the catering
and construction industries to inculcate a safety culture
and to enhance the safety awareness of employers, employees
and their families. The schemes featured a variety of activities,
including open safety performance competitions, safety and
health seminars, roving exhibitions, site visits, radio
programmes, stickers, computer CD-ROM, broadcast of promotional
films on "RoadShow" and award presentation ceremonies
cum fun days. |
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Adjudicators
of the Catering Industry Safety Award Scheme assessing
the safety and health performance of a participating
establishment. |
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Permanent
Secretary for Economic Development and Labour (Labour)
Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung officiating at the Award
Presentation Ceremony of the Construction Industry
Safety Award Scheme. |
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Strengthening Local and International Partnerships
Labour Day Reception
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| 1.16 |
On 1 May 2004, the Secretary for Economic Development for
Labour hosted a cocktail reception at Government House to
celebrate Labour Day and to pay tribute to the workforce.
The reception was officiated by the Chief Executive, Mr
Tung Chee Hwa, and attended by some 200 guests from trade
unions, employer associations and other organisations. |
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Chief
Executive Mr Tung Chee Hwa at Labour Day Reception.
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| Local Attachment Programme |
| 1.17 |
In 2003, the department arranged short-term attachment programmes
for its labour officers to some of the leading corporations
in the private sector; including the MTR Corporation Limited,
the Hong Kong & China Gas Company Limited and Ernst
& Young Transactions Limited. In 2004, another attachment
programme with the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporatioin
Limited was arranged for a labour officer. These programmes
enabled the officers to understand at first hand the culture
and business operation of private enterprises, particularly
in the area of human resources and corporate management.
They also facilitated mutual exchange of experience and
strengthened the department's networking with the private
sector. |
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| Contacts with Other Labour Administrations |
| 1.18 |
We maintain active liaison and interflow with other labour
administrations through visits and participation in relevant
activities. In April 2004, the Permanent Secretary for Economic
Development and Labour (Labour) led a delegation to attend
the China Employment Forum in Beijing and delivered a speech
on the youth employment programmes run by the Labour Department.
The Forum was organised by the Ministry of Labour and Social
Security and the International Labour Organisation. |
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Permanent
Secretary for Economic Development and Labour (Labour)
Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung meeting Premier Wen Jiabao
at Zhongnanhai during his attendance in the China
Employment Forum. |
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| 1.19 |
In
June 2004, a tripartite team of government officials, employer
and employee representatives of the Labour Advisory Board
attended the 92nd Session of the International Labour Conference
in Geneva to keep themselves abreast of the latest development
of international labour standards. The occasion also strengthened
their rapport with counterparts in other countries and regions,
thereby facilitating future co-operation. |