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Following is a question by the Hon Frankie Yick and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, in the Legislative Council today (December 12):
Question:
It has been reported that while the unemployment rate in Hong Kong has remained at a low level recently, the number of tertiary institution graduates receiving payments under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme due to unemployment has been on the rise. Regarding the situation of unemployed persons receiving CSSA (unemployed CSSA recipients), will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of unemployed CSSA recipients aged 15 to 59 in each year from 2007 to 2011, broken down by their age and academic qualification (set out according to the attached table 1);
(b) of the number of unemployed CSSA recipients participating in the Support for Self-reliance (SFS) Scheme, rate of their securing employment and their average duration of stay on CSSA, in each year from 2007 to 2011, broken down by their age and academic qualification (set out according to the attached table 2);
(c) of a breakdown by age and duration of stay on CSSA of the existing number of unemployed CSSA recipients (set out according to the attached table 3);
(d) of the criteria for calculating the rate of securing employment of CSSA recipients participating in the SFS Scheme; if securing employment is defined as staying employed for three months or longer, of the rate of securing employment of the Scheme and the difference of such rate from the existing rate calculated by the authorities in each of the past five years; whether it has assessed the reasons why some CSSA recipients, after having secured a job through the Scheme, quitted in less than three months; of the current number of CSSA recipients who have participated in the SFS Scheme and received CSSA payments for more than half a year; whether the authorities have reviewed the effectiveness of the Scheme; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(e) of the total amount of CSSA payments provided by the Government to unemployed CSSA recipients aged 15 to 59 in each year from 2007 to 2011, broken down by age and academic qualification of the recipients (set out according to the attached table 4)?
Reply:
President,
The Social Welfare Department (SWD) launched the Support for Self-reliance (SFS) Scheme under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme to encourage and help unemployed able-bodied CSSA recipients (Note 1) aged 15 to 59 to secure full-time paid employment and move towards self-reliance.
To meet the needs of different CSSA recipients, SWD provides different employment assistance services under the SFS Scheme, including:
(i) Integrated Employment Assistance : includes ordinary and intensive employment assistance services for CSSA job seekers, to help them overcome work barriers, thereby enhancing their employability; and
(ii) the "Special Training and Enhancement Programme" (MY STEP) : provides unemployed able-bodied CSSA youths aged between 15 and 29 with counselling and structured motivational and disciplinary training to enhance their self-esteem, self-confidence and sense of responsibility, and to assist them in rejoining the workforce (Note 2).
Besides, participants of the SFS Scheme are usually required to join the Community Work (CW) Programme implemented by SWD. The aim is to help them build up a work habit, enhance their self-confidence and widen their social network. The CW Programme also enables them to make contribution to the community while receiving CSSA payment.
My reply to Hon Frankie Yick's question is set out below:
(a) The number of unemployed CSSA recipients from 2007 to 2011, by academic qualification and age, is tabulated at Annex 1.
(b) and (d) All unemployed CSSA recipients are required to join the SFS Scheme. The relevant numbers are at reply (a). Their average duration of stay on CSSA, by academic qualification and age, is tabulated at Annex 2.
The participants of SFS Scheme should actively find full-time jobs of not less than 120 work hours per month and with monthly income not less than $1,775 (amount applicable since February 1, 2012). Adopting this standard, the employment rates of the SFS Scheme participants in the last five years are as follows:
Period Employment Rate
By the end of December 2007 36.4%
By the end of December 2008 25.3%
By the end of December 2009 19.4%
By the end of December 2010 27.2%
By the end of December 2011 25.5%
SWD has not kept statistics on SFS Scheme participants who have been employed for more than three months, and has not kept record as to why certain participants have quitted their jobs in less than three months' time.
To integrate and improve the employment assistance services under the CSSA Scheme for enhanced effectiveness and synergy, SWD will launch the "Integrated Employment Assistance Programme for Self-reliance" from January 1, 2013 onwards. Through the integrated programme, the same NGO can provide employable CSSA recipients with multifarious and one-stop employment assistance services on a family basis according to their individual needs so as to enhance their employability. The services provided may include interviewing the beneficiaries individually or in small groups, assisting them in formulating job search plans, providing them with information on employment and training courses, providing work exposure services for them, and providing them with post-placement support service and temporary financial assistance, etc.
(c) The number of unemployed CSSA recipients by the end of October 2012, by duration of stay on CSSA and age, is tabulated at Annex 3.
(e) SWD does not keep information on the total amount of CSSA payment provided to the unemployed CSSA recipients, broken down by age and academic qualification of the recipients.
Note 1:In this reply, "unemployed CSSA recipients" refers to those CSSA recipients who are either unemployed, or engaged in paid jobs but the income is less than the prevailing standard amount of an able-bodied adult from a family made up of no more than two able-bodied adults/children (the standard amount is $1,775 with effect from February 1, 2012).
Note 2: SWD has also launched the "New Dawn Project" to provide employment services for single parents and child carers on CSSA, whose youngest child is aged 12 to 14, to enhance their employability.
Ends/Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Issued at HKT 16:28
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