More job opportunities offered to Tin Shui Wai residents
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    The Government was committed to helping Tin Shui Wai residents improve their livelihood by means of education, training, community support and creation of job opportunities, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, said at the opening ceremony of a catering industry job fair today (February 19).

    Jointly organised by the Labour Department and the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, more than 2,400 vacancies are provided by 31 catering establishments at the job fair held in Tin Shui Wai today and tomorrow.

    About 70% of the vacancies do not require relevant experience while about 40% of them do not require specific academic qualifications. In addition, there will be career talks to enhance job-seekersˇ¦ understanding of the job opportunities in the trade.

    Mr Cheung said the catering sector was a labour-intensive industry that could provide a wide range of job types for job-seekers of different academic qualifications and experience. Some restaurants offered both full-time and part-time jobs with flexible working hours. He hoped Tin Shui Wai residents could find suitable jobs at this job fair.

    ˇ§The robust economy has brought about more job vacancies. The Labour Department received more than 48,000 vacancies from the private sector in January, up 27% over the corresponding period of 2007. On average, the department received about 2,200 vacancies per working day. All these figures indicated an upbeat labour market,ˇ¨Mr Cheung said.

    Mr Cheung said many individuals and organisations, including trade associations, had lent support to the residents in Tin Shui Wai. The Hong Kong Retail Management Association will organise another job fair on February 26 and 27 at Kingswood Ginza.

    Apart from the efforts made by the Government, the business sector and other organisations, it was important that the residents should strive to improve themselves and foster mutual help. He encouraged residents to continue to do their best to pave the way for a better future.

Ends/Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Issued at HKT 15:36

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