Labour Advisory Board Report 2017-2018 - Chapter 5

Committee on Employment Services

5.1 Introduction

In May 1976, a sub-committee of the Labour Advisory Board (LAB) was appointed to advise the Commissioner for Labour on matters concerning the operation of the Employment Services Division of the Labour Department (LD). The sub-committee was renamed as the Committee on Employment Services (CES) in 1978 and its terms of reference were extended to cover the work of all divisions under the Employment Services Programme of LD.

5.2 Terms of Reference

CES is established to:

• advise on the employment services provided by LD, including those for the able-bodied and people with disabilities, and the careers advisory service for young people;
• advise on legislative provisions relating to the operation of employment agencies; and
• advise on legislative provisions relating to the employment of local workers outside Hong Kong.

5.3 Composition

Members of CES are appointed by the Commissioner for Labour. The composition of the committee for the 2017-2018 term is as follows:

Chairman:	To be appointed from the non-government sector
Members:	Two# employer representatives from LAB
	Two# employee representatives from LAB
	Two employer representatives from outside LAB
	Two employee representatives from outside LAB
	A representative of employers who make use of the employment services of LD
	A representative of people with disabilities who make use of the employment services of LD
	A representative nominated by an employment agency association
	A representative nominated by the Hong Kong Association of Careers Masters and Guidance Masters
	A representative nominated by the Employees Retraining Board
	A representative nominated by the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management
	A representative from one of the social partners of LD
	A representative from a tertiary educational institution
	Assistant Commissioner for Labour (Employment Services)
Secretary:	A Labour Officer of LD

^# Only one representative shall be appointed if the chairman has been appointed from this group.

The membership list of CES for the 2017-2018 term is at Appendix II.

5.4 Activities during the 2017-2018 Term

During the 2017-2018 term, CES offered advice on the following employment services and measures:

CES offered advice on LD’s employment services to able-bodied job seekers, people with disabilities, the elderly, young people, new arrivals and ethnic minorities as well as recruitment services to employers. CES also discussed and gave views on the operation of various specialised employment programmes, including the Employment Programme for the Elderly and Middle-aged, the Youth Employment and Training Programme, the Employment Services Ambassador Programme for Ethnic Minorities, the Work Trial Scheme and the Work Orientation and Placement Scheme, etc. administered by LD for job seekers with employment difficulty.

LD launched the Higher Education Employment Information e-Platform in December 2016 to provide employment support for job seekers with higher education, including Hong Kong students who are educated in tertiary institutions outside Hong Kong as well as persons from overseas with higher academic / professional qualifications. This e-platform seeks to enhance their understanding of the Hong Kong employment market and facilitate them to search and apply for suitable job openings.