The Government announced today (January 8) the launch of the Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme for which interested enterprises can apply to offer job vacancies for young people.  
 
     The scheme is one of the measures announced by the Chief Executive in the 2020 Policy Address. It aims to encourage and support young people to work and pursue their careers in the Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), help them understand the latest developments of both Hong Kong and those cities and leverage the opportunities for career advancement in the GBA. 
 
     A Government spokesman said, "As pointed out by the Chief Executive in the 2020 Policy Address, taking into account Hong Kong's economy and market scale, the youth unemployment rate may remain at double digits for some time. On the other hand, the GBA, with a population exceeding 70 million, has huge development potential and offers many career development opportunities for the young people of Hong Kong. The Governments of Guangdong Province and Shenzhen Municipality have expressed strong support for the scheme. We suggest that young people broaden their horizons to the Motherland and seize the wider opportunities of studying, working and living in our country and grasp the invaluable chance to realise their dreams and aspirations."
 
     Under the scheme, enterprises with operations in Hong Kong and GBA Mainland cities are welcome to join the scheme to offer job vacancies. Participating enterprises shall employ the eligible graduates locally under Hong Kong laws, and shall station the graduates in GBA Mainland cities to work and receive on-the-job training. The scheme provides 2 000 places, around 700 of which are designated for innovation and technology (I&T) posts. The Government will grant a monthly allowance of HK$10,000 to enterprises for each graduate employed for up to 18 months.
 
     To join the scheme, eligible graduates should be Hong Kong residents lawfully employable in Hong Kong and hold bachelor's degrees or above awarded locally or by institutions outside Hong Kong from 2019 to 2021. Under the scheme, the graduates employed will receive a monthly salary of no less than HK$18,000. For I&T posts, eligible graduates, besides meeting the above-mentioned criteria, should possess degrees related to science, technology, engineering or mathematics subjects. They should work in both Hong Kong and GBA Mainland cities, with each location taking up six to 12 months.    
 
     The Labour Department (LD) and the Innovation and Technology Bureau (ITB) have set up a secretariat for the scheme to handle applications from enterprises and disbursement of the allowance. Interested enterprises may visit the dedicated website (www.jobs.gov.hk/gbayes) for more information and enrolment in the scheme. Job vacancies will be uploaded to the website for eligible graduates to apply after they have been processed and vetted by the LD and the ITB.

Ends/Friday, January 8, 2021
Issued at HKT 12:50

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