Policy Support

Task Force on Employment

Established in June 1998 to seek to map out an overall strategy for tackling unemployment and to monitor its implementation, the Task Force on Employment (the Task Force), led by the Financial Secretary, had devised a wide range of measures to create jobs and promote employment.

The Government revamped the Task Force and widened its representation to include members of the Legislative Council (LegCo) and political parties in October 2002. The revamp enhanced the role of the Task Force as a high-level forum to tap the views of the business community, labour sector, academia and the political parties on ways to improve the employment situation in Hong Kong.

The Terms of Reference of the Task Force were:

1. to review Hong Kong's latest economic and employment situation;
   
2. to assess future economic and employment trends;
   
3. to take stock of the result and effectiveness of various employment and training/retraining measures implemented so far to help the unemployed; and
   
4. to consider and devise measures to improve the employment opportunities of the locally unemployed.

Membership of the Task Force was as follows:

Chairman: Financial Secretary, The Hon TANG Ying-yen, Henry, GBS, JP

Members:

A.	From the Government Secretary for Economic Development and Labour, The Hon Stephen IP, GBS, JP Secretary for Education and Manpower, The Hon Prof Arthur LI, GBS, JP Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr TSANG Chun-wah, John, JP Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr The Hon Sarah LIAO, JP Secretary for Home Affairs, Dr The Hon Patrick HO, JP Permanent Secretary for Economic Development and Labour (Labour), Mr Matthew CHEUNG Kin-chung, JP Government Economist, Mr TANG Kwong-yiu, JP
B.	From the Employers' Group : Mr CHAN Wing Kee, GBS, JP Mr HO Sai-chu, SBS, JP Mr. Herman HU Shao-ming, JP Mr Andrew LEUNG, JP
C.	From the Employees' Group : The Hon CHENG Yiu-tong, SBS, JP The Hon LAU Chin-shek, JP The Hon LI Fung-ying, JP
D.	Academics / Economists: Professor LIU Pak-wai, SBS Professor Francis LUI Ting-ming Professor Y. C. Richard Wong, SBS, JP
E.	LegCo Members The Hon Bernard CHAN, JP The Hon CHAN Kam-lam, JP The Hon Andrew CHENG Kar-foo The Hon Federick FUNG Kin-kei The Hon Ambrose LAU Hon-chuen, GBS, JP The Hon Emily LAU Wai-hing, JP The Hon James P.C. TIEN, GBS, JP

In Attendance

Acting Executive Director of the Vocational Training Council, Mrs Carrie WILLIS, MBE, JP Executive Director of the Construction Industry Training Authority, Mr Albert TONG Yat-chu Executive Director of the Employees Retraining Board, Mr S S KWONG

Secretary

Assistant Commissioner for Labour (Policy Support and Strategic Planning), Mrs DO PANG Wai-yee