******************************
Following is the transcript of remarks (English portion) by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, at a media session after attending radio phone-in programmes this morning (February 26):
Reporter: Mr Cheung, there is the concern that the cash rewards for job seekers are not effective, what do you have to say about it?
Secretary for Labour and Welfare: The Employment Navigator Programme is a pilot programme. Its objective, primarily, is to encourage employment for those who have difficulty in finding jobs in the first place. Secondly, it is to address the mismatch between supply and demand. At the moment, the Labour Department everyday receives on average more than 2,000 vacancies from the private sector. We realise that some of the vacancies, some of the jobs, in fact, have more applicants than vacancies, whereas others, more vacancies than applicants. The mismatch is going on, particularly in the retail, restaurant, catering, cleansing and security guard services. We therefore devise this proposal, on a pilot basis, to encourage those people, applicants particularly, for example, if they are only after clerical jobs. For clerical jobs, normally the ratio between vacancy and applicant is one to four. In other words, it's four seekers for one vacancy, which actually is highly competitive. We want to channel these applicants to jobs which they never think of joining, this is very important. It is so called "a shift in mindset" - encourage them to take the opportunity to try a new job and also to encourage them to develop a habit of working. So this three-month allowance is intended to add incentive. And also it is good for long-term development of Hong Kong's manpower and also for social developments.
Reporter: Financial Secretary just mentioned that one of the major constraints of the infrastructural capital work projects is the lack of young people joining the construction sector. How would you tackle this problem?
Secretary for Labour and Welfare: The Government in fact will be leaving no stone unturned in promoting employment for the construction sector, particularly in attracting young people into the construction industry through training, retraining in particular. We will be going in a big way in terms of attracting new blood to the profession. The Construction Industry Council already has a plan in hand and also the Financial Secretary has provided extra funding this year for the council to boost its training, particular attracting new blood, young blood to the industry.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Friday, February 26, 2010
Issued at HKT 15:39
NNNN
