LCQ18: Employment support services
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Question:
The Employment Information and Promotion Programme Office (EIPPO) of the Labour Department (LD) is responsible for promoting employment services, assisting job-seekers in finding jobs through the provision of employment information, and helping employers recruit suitable staff. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the details of EIPPO's existing staffing establishment (including the number of posts, rank distribution and the ratio of full-time to contract staff); between 2022 and 2024, (i) the operating expenses of EIPPO, (ii) the number of job fairs organised, and (iii) the number of job vacancies processed, together with a breakdown by year and industry type (e.g. retail, construction and service);
(2) of the number of successful placements referred by the EIPPO ("successful job matching") between 2022 and 2024 and its percentage in the total number of job vacancies processed by the EIPPO, together with a breakdown by the age, sex, academic qualification and group (e.g. ethnic minorities or persons with disabilities) of job seekers, and the industry of the placement; whether it has laid down clear definitions and criteria for successful job matching (e.g. staying in employment for three months or more);
(3) whether the LD has formulated performance indicators for the EIPPO's work, such as participation rates at job fairs, vacancy filling rates or job seeker satisfaction levels; if so, of the details (including the key indicators and their attainment between 2022 and 2024); if not, the reasons for that;
(4) whether it has plans to comprehensively review the effectiveness of the EIPPO's services, so as to enhance the employment support measures for vulnerable workers (including low-skilled workers, women, ethnic minorities and middle-aged persons); if so, of the details (including the timetable, scope and objectives of the review); if not, the reasons for that, and whether it will conduct the relevant review;
(5) whether it will consider strengthening co-operation with enterprises, social organisations and non-governmental organisations to establish an "employment support platform for vulnerable workers", and encouraging enterprises to provide internships and long-term employment opportunities suitable for vulnerable workers; if so, of the details (including the content of the plan, the implementation timetable, the measures to provide subsidies or incentives to enterprises, as well as the expected effectiveness); if not, the reasons for that, and whether there are other alternative measures; and
(6) whether it will, by drawing reference from LD's practice of setting up industry-specific job centres (e.g. the Recruitment Centre for the Catering Industry, the Recruitment Centre for the Retail Industry and the Construction Industry Recruitment Centre), convert job centres in some districts into one-stop employment support centres specifically targeting women, the elderly and ethnic minorities, with a view to enhancing the effectiveness of such centres?
Reply:
President,
The Labour Department (LD) provides diversified and free employment services to job-seekers to encourage and assist them in entering the labour market. The Employment Information and Promotion Programme Office (EIPPO) under the Employment Information and Promotion Division of the LD is responsible for holding large-scale job fairs and organising publicity projects to promote the LD's employment services and related information. The EIPPO also actively liaises with employers to canvass job vacancies from different industries with a view to assisting employers in recruiting employees and expediting the dissemination of employment information.
The reply to the Member's question is as follows:
(1) The breakdown of the EIPPO's staff establishment by grade from 2022-23 to 2024-25 is at Annex 1. The EIPPO's annual operational expenses (excluding staff cost) during the same period was $5.02 million, $9.07 million and $8.94 million respectively. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some activities could not be organised in 2022, resulting in lower operational expenses for the year.
From 2022 to 2024, the EIPPO organised 13, 17 and 18 large-scale job fairs each year, offering 23 594, 36 870 and 32 900 job vacancies respectively for job-seekers to submit job applications to employers on the spot. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of large-scale job fairs organised and job vacancies recorded in 2022 were lower. A breakdown of the relevant job vacancies by industry is at Annex 2.
(2) The LD organises large-scale job fairs to provide a convenient platform for employers and job seekers to meet face-to-face. In addition to applying for jobs and attending interviews on the spot, job seekers can learn directly from employers about trade development, company culture, job requirements, etc. At the same time, they can make use of the LD's consultation services during job fairs and obtain information on various employment programmes.
From 2022 to 2024, about 6 600, 26 500 and 32 600 job seekers attended the large-scale job fairs organised by the EIPPO each year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of job seekers visiting the large-scale job fairs was lower in 2022. Based on the questionnaire responses collected by the LD from employers after the job fairs, from 2022 to 2024, approximately 1 300, 1 900 and 2 000 job seekers were respectively employed within one month after the job fairs each year. The LD does not maintain breakdowns of the job fair visitors or individuals employed after the job fairs.
(3) and (4) The LD from time to time organises large-scale job fairs across the territory and stages district-based thematic job fairs at its job centres, including inclusive job fairs for ethnic minorities, and part-time or thematic job fairs targeting elderly and middle-aged job seekers (including women).
Overall, employers, job seekers and relevant stakeholders have strong demand for job fairs. Participating employers and job seekers respond very favourably to the events. As the number of job vacancies, success rate of recruitment, etc., may be affected by factors such as the economy, labour market situation and personal circumstances of job seekers, it is inappropriate to set Key Performance Indicators for the EIPPO or the large-scale job fairs it organises.
The LD will continue to closely monitor changes in the economy and employment market, conduct timely review on the effectiveness of various employment services, and implement appropriate enhancement measures.
(5) and (6) The LD's ten job centres provide integrated employment services to job seekers. Apart from job referral service, job seekers can also use the facilities of the job centres, including vacancy search terminals, computers with word processing function for preparing resume, employment information corners, etc. Employment officers of the centres may also meet with job seekers to provide them with personalised employment advisory service, and based on their needs and preferences, recommend them to join suitable employment programmes or to enroll in training/retraining courses so as to enhance their employability and employment opportunities. All job centres also provide dedicated services for elderly and middle-aged persons (including women), and ethnic minorities, such as priority employment services for those aged 50 or above, and arrangement of interpretation services for ethnic minority job seekers.
Additionally, the LD implements various employment programmes including Youth Employment and Training Programme, Re-employment Allowance Pilot Scheme, Employment Programme for the Elderly and Middle-aged and Racial Diversity Employment Programme to support and facilitate the employment of young people, elderly and middle-aged persons (including women) as well as ethnic minorities. The LD collaborates with relevant groups, including engaging non-governmental organisations to provide employment support to participants, etc., to jointly implement employment programmes.
Apart from offering integrated employment services, job centres also collaborate with relevant groups in implementing employment programmes. Proven to be effective, this modus operandi can comprehensively and flexibly meet the needs of different groups of job seekers (including women, older persons and ethnic minorities, etc.). As such, the LD currently has no plan to set up other employment support platform, or new employment support centres for specific groups of job seekers.
Ends/Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Issued at HKT 11:55
Issued at HKT 11:55
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