Chapter 5 Employment Services

The Programme of Employment Services

www.labour.gov.hk/eng/service/content.htm

5.1The objective of the Employment Services Programme is to provide a comprehensive range of free employment assistance and recruitment services to help job seekers find suitable jobs and employers fill their vacancies. We achieve this by:

• providing user-friendly employment and recruitment services to job seekers and employers;
• offering dedicated employment-related assistance and personalised services to vulnerable groups of unemployed people;
• assisting young people to enhance their employability and advising them on careers choice;
• regulating local employment agencies;
• safeguarding the interests of local employees employed by employers outside Hong Kong to work in other territories; and
• processing applications under the Supplementary Labour Scheme and ensuring employment priority for local workers in filling vacancies under the scheme.

5.2The principal legislation administered by this programme area includes Part XII of the Employment Ordinance (EO), the Employment Agency Regulations made under the EO and the Contracts for Employment Outside Hong Kong Ordinance (CEOHKO).

5.3Part XII of the EO, together with the Employment Agency Regulations, regulates the operation of employment agencies in Hong Kong through licensing, inspection, investigation and prosecution.

5.4The CEOHKO safeguards the interests of local manual workers and those non-manual employees with monthly wages not exceeding $20,000 who are recruited by employers outside Hong Kong to work in other territories through the attestation of employment contracts of these persons.

Our Work and Achievements in 2020

Employment Situation in Hong Kong

5.5The labour market deteriorated sharply in 2020. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate surged to 4.2% in the first quarter, and further to 6.2% in the second quarter and 6.6% in the fourth quarter, the highest in 16 years. The underemployment rate also soared to a post-SARS high of 3.8% in the third quarter and stayed elevated at 3.4% in the fourth quarter. For updated statistics on the labour force, unemployment rate and underemployment rate, please visit the webpage:
www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp200.jsp?tableID=006&ID=0&productType=8 .

5.6The Labour Department (LD) recorded 686 297 vacancies offered by employers of the private sector for free recruitment service in 2020. In the year, a total of 126 785 placements were secured. (Figures 5.1 and 5.2)

A Wider Service Choice

Services Offered at Job Centres

5.7Job seekers can browse vacancies at 13 job centres of the LD and seek referral service provided by the staff or apply to the employers direct. Job seekers may also meet with employment officers who provide job search advice as well as assist them in matching and finding suitable jobs in accordance with their individual needs and preferences. Various facilities such as digital display system, touchscreen vacancy search terminals, fax machines, toll-free telephones, computers connected to the Internet and resource corners are available for the use by job seekers.

Industry-based Recruitment Centres

5.8The three industry-based recruitment centres of the LD, namely the Recruitment Centre for the Catering Industry, the Recruitment Centre for the Retail Industry and the Construction Industry Recruitment Centre, provide free as well as one-stop and on-the-spot recruitment services for employers and job seekers, enhancing the efficiency of recruitment and job search.

Telephone Employment Service

5.9Job seekers registered at the LD may call our Telephone Employment Service Centre on 2969 0888 for job referral service. Through conference calls, staff of the centre can make arrangement for job seekers to talk to employers direct.

Online Employment Services

5.10The LD’s Interactive Employment Service (iES) website (www.jobs.gov.hk) provides round-the-clock online employment services and comprehensive employment information. The iES website is the most popular government job board in Hong Kong, recording around 164 million page views in 2020. It hosts a number of thematic webpages to provide dedicated employment information for specific clientele. Job seekers can also use the iES mobile application to look for suitable vacancies in the job vacancy database of the LD anytime and anywhere. The mobile application recorded around 136 million hit counts in 2020.

5.11The Higher Education Employment Information e-Platform (www.jobs.gov.hk) provides employment support for job seekers with higher education so as to enhance their understanding of the Hong Kong employment market and facilitate them to search and apply for suitable job openings. The e-Platform recorded around 2.34 million page views in 2020.

Central Processing of Job Vacancies

5.12Employers who need to recruit staff can send their vacancy information to our Job Vacancy Processing Centre by fax (2566 3331) or through the Internet (www.jobs.gov.hk). The vacancy information is then disseminated through a network of 13 job centres, three recruitment centres for the catering, retail and construction industries, the iES website and mobile application as well as vacancy search terminals located in various sites throughout the territory after vetting.

Special Recruitment and Promotional Activities

5.13The LD organises a variety of activities to promote our employment services and appeal for vacancies from employers. Job fairs are held to facilitate job seekers and employers to meet and communicate direct. To enhance efficiency of the recruitment process and facilitate placements of job seekers in the vicinity of their residence, district-based job fairs, apart from large-scale job fairs, are held at job centres to assist employers to recruit residents in the locality and to enable job seekers to participate in job interviews without having to travel long distance.

5.14To reduce the risk of viral infection posed by the congregation of people during the COVID-19 outbreak, the LD had to cancel many of its physical job fairs scheduled for 2020. To assist job seekers in job search, the LD introduced online job fairs and strived to resume the organisation of smaller-scale district-based recruitment activities in job centres and recruitment centres when each wave of the pandemic became stabilised. In the year, three large-scale job fairs and two online job fairs were held, attracting over 4 250 job seekers to attend the former events. At the same time, 568 district-based job fairs were organised, with over 22 000 on-the-spot interviews arranged.

Intensified Services for the Needy

Middle-aged and Elderly Job Seekers

5.15The LD provides dedicated employment services for elderly persons and promote their employment through various means such as setting up special counters at job centres to provide priority registration and job referral service for elderly job seekers, conducting employers' experience-sharing sessions, and organising employment briefings and job fairs targeted at elderly persons.

5.16In light of the deteriorating employment situation, the LD raised the ceiling of the on-the-job (OJT) allowance payable to employers under the Employment Programme for the Elderly and Middle-aged (EPEM) in September 2020, with a view to further encouraging employers to hire the elderly and middle-aged. The maximum amount of OJT allowance payable to employers engaging job seekers aged 60 or above who are unemployed or have left the workforce and providing them with OJT under the EPEM has been increased from $4,000 to $5,000 per month per employee for a period of six to 12 months. The maximum amount of OJT allowance for engaging unemployed job seekers aged 40 to 59 has also been increased from $3,000 to $4,000 per month per employee for a period of three to six months. The EPEM covers both full-time and part-time jobs. In 2020, 2 260 placements eligible for joining the programme were recorded.

5.17The LD also launched a pilot scheme in September 2020 to encourage the elderly aged 60 or above to undergo and complete OJT under the EPEM through the provision of a retention allowance, thereby stabilising employment. These employees will be offered a retention allowance of $3,000 if they stay in the OJT posts for three months. Thereafter, they will receive an additional allowance of $1,000 for each ensuing month when they stay in their same jobs until their completion of the six to 12-month OJT. Subject to the length of the OJT period, the maximum amount of retention allowance that a full-time employee may receive is $12,000.

New Arrival and Ethnic Minority Job Seekers

5.18The LD provides a comprehensive range of employment services to new arrival and ethnic minority job seekers through job centres. These include employment advisory service, job referral, tailor-made employment briefing and information resources. Those who have difficulties finding jobs are encouraged to participate in various employment programmes to enhance their employability. We also proactively promote our recruitment activities to them so as to speed up their job search.

5.19Since September 2014, the LD has implemented the “Employment Services Ambassador Programme for Ethnic Minorities” to employ trainees of the Youth Employment and Training Programme who can communicate in ethnic minority languages to work as Employment Services Ambassadors at job centres, industry-based recruitment centres and job fairs. Moreover, since May 2017, we have engaged two employment assistants proficient in ethnic minority languages at two selected job centres to strengthen employment support for ethnic minority job seekers, especially those of South Asian origins. Furthermore, inclusive job fairs are organised to enhance the employment opportunities of the ethnic minorities.

5.20To further strengthen the employment support for ethnic minority job seekers, the LD has commissioned two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to implement the Racial Diversity Employment Programme since November 2020. The programme provides, on a pilot basis, one-stop employment services for ethnic minority job seekers in a case management approach through the NGOs so as to utilise the latter’s community network, expertise in case management and experiences in serving the ethnic minorities. The NGOs are responsible for canvassing vacancies suitable for ethnic minority job seekers, providing support in their job search, and offering post-placement follow-up services for the ethnic minorities and their employers.

Work Trial Scheme (WTS)

5.21The WTS seeks to enhance the employability of job seekers who have difficulties in finding jobs. There is no age limit for applicants. During the one-month work-trial without employer-employee relationship, participants take up jobs offered by participating organisations. On completion of the one-month full-time work trial, the maximum allowance payable to each participant is $8,300, while the allowance for part-time work trial is calculated at an hourly rate of $49. Of this allowance, $500 are contributed by the participating organisation. In 2020, a total of 320 job seekers were placed into work trials.

Workers Affected by Large-scale Retrenchment

5.22In major business closure or redundancy cases, the LD sets up hotlines for enquiry and special counters at job centres to provide special employment services to affected employees. We canvass suitable vacancies from employers to facilitate job search of the affected employees. In addition, under our iES website, a dedicated webpage displays vacancies offered by employers interested in recruiting job seekers who have lost their jobs in recent closure or redundancy exercises. This helps the affected employees find suitable jobs more effectively. In the year, we offered such special employment services to some 6 000 affected employees.

Job Seekers with Disabilities

5.23The Selective Placement Division (SPD) offers employment assistance to job seekers with disabilities looking for open employment. Employment consultants provide personalised employment services, including employment counselling, job matching and referral as well as post-placement follow-up services. In 2020, the SPD registered 2 478 job seekers with disabilities and secured 1 741 placements. (Figure 5.3)

Work Orientation and Placement Scheme (WOPS)

5.24The WOPS facilitates open employment of persons with disabilities by encouraging employers to engage persons with disabilities and render them with coaching and support through the provision of an allowance. To further promote the employment of persons with disabilities having employment difficulties, the amount of allowance under the scheme has been increased from September 2020. The maximum allowance payable to an eligible employer for engaging each person with disabilities having employment difficulties rose from $51,000 to $60,000 in total within the allowance period of nine months. In 2020, 809 placements were secured through the scheme.

5.25Like the EPEM mentioned above, the LD has provided since September 2020 a retention allowance on a pilot basis to employees with disabilities who are employed through the SPD’s referral services, so as to encourage them to receive and complete OJT, thereby stabilising employment.

Self Help Integrated Placement Service (SHIPS)

5.26The SHIPS aims at improving the job searching skills of job seekers with disabilities and encouraging them to be more proactive in job hunt, thereby enhancing their employment opportunities. In 2020, 144 job seekers with disabilities participated in the programme.

Interactive Selective Placement Service (iSPS) Website

5.27The iSPS website (www.jobs.gov.hk/isps) provides employment services for job seekers with disabilities and employers. The website enables persons with disabilities to register with the SPD, browse job vacancy information and perform preliminary job matching. It also enables employers to place vacancy orders, identify suitable job seekers with disabilities to fill their vacancies and request the SPD to refer candidates to them for selection interview. The website facilitates employers to browse information on the work capacity of persons with disabilities more readily. At the same time, it helps persons with disabilities access various online employment services and other related support services.

Promotional Activities

5.28To enhance public understanding of the work abilities of persons with disabilities as well as to publicise the services of the SPD and the WOPS, the SPD conducted a series of promotional activities, such as producing publications and advertisements, broadcasting promotional videos, and publicising promotional messages through newspapers, publications of employers’ associations, radio and television channels, public transport network, wall banners and mobile application advertisements during the year. In addition, promotional visits were paid to employers of different trades and publicity materials were sent to them to canvass more job vacancies for persons with disabilities.

Services for Young People

Youth Employment and Training Programme (YETP)

5.29To enhance the employability of young people, the LD administers the YETP, a “through-train” programme providing seamless and comprehensive training and employment support to young school leavers aged 15 to 24 with educational attainment at sub-degree level or below.

5.30Trainees can enrol on a year-round basis and are entitled to a full range of coordinated and customised training and employment support services, including pre-employment training, one-month workplace attachment training, OJT of six to 12 months, reimbursement of off-the-job course and examination fees up to $4,000 per trainee, as well as case management services rendered by registered social workers.

5.31In view of the employment difficulties of youths, the LD assists young people in entering the labour market through enhancing the YETP. With effect from January 2020, the LD raised the workplace attachment allowance payable to trainees under the YETP from $4,500 to $5,800. Besides, the LD increased the maximum amount of OJT allowance payable to employers under the YETP from $4,000 per month to $5,000 per month (for a period of six to 12 months) with effect from September 2020 to further encourage employers to hire young people and provide them with OJT. At the same time, the LD launched a pilot scheme to encourage YETP trainees to undergo and complete OJT through the provision of a retention allowance, thereby stabilising employment. Subject to the length and mode of OJT, the maximum amount of retention allowance that a trainee may receive is $12,000.

5.32In the 2019-20 programme year running from September 2019 to August 2020, 1 449 young people attended pre-employment training and 1 435 OJT placements were secured under the YETP.

5.33The YETP collaborates with training bodies and individual employers or employers of specific sectors to launch special employment projects, providing tailor-made pre-employment training and OJT for young people. In the 2019-20 programme year, 17 special employment projects and 13 thematic job fairs were organised, involving employers in the aviation, construction and engineering, retail and property management industries, etc.

5.34In December, the LD, in collaboration with Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), broadcast a special TV programme “A Boundless Future – YETP Most Improved Trainees” on RTHK TV 31 to showcase the creditable improvements of trainees after joining the YETP and commend the caring efforts of training bodies and employers. Trainees’ successful experience constituted the best encouragement to their peers. It was also a sterling testimony to the achievements of trainees, training bodies, employers and the Government in nurturing the development of the younger generation. In the year, we also collaborated with RTHK to produce a radio drama “A Moment to Fly”, which was adapted from the real-life experiences of YETP trainees, to encourage young people to stay resilient and remain committed to achieving their goals in life.

Programme for Youths with Acute Employment Difficulties

5.35To strengthen the employment support for vulnerable youths, the YETP continued to operate the “Career Kick Start” project in 2020. Participating NGOs receive subsidy from the LD in offering OJT of 12 months’ duration to young people with special needs with a view to enhancing their employability. The subsidy has been increased from $8,300 to $9,000 per month per trainee, so as to encourage the participation of NGOs in the project. In addition, participating NGOs are encouraged to assist trainees in securing full-time jobs in the open employment market through the provision of Placement Incentive.

Youth Employment Support

5.36The LD operates two youth employment resource centres named Youth Employment Start. The two centres provide personalised advisory and support services on employment and self-employment to young people aged between 15 and 29 to facilitate them to map out their career path, enhance their employability and support them to pursue self-employment. Services provided include career assessment, career guidance, professional counselling, value-adding training, self-employment support as well as up-to-date labour market information. In 2020, the number of services provided to young people by the two centres totalled 21 705.

Working Holiday Scheme (WHS)

5.37Since 2001, Hong Kong has established bilateral WHS with 14 economies, namely New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Japan, Canada, Korea, France, the United Kingdom, Austria, Hungary, Sweden, the Netherlands and Italy (commencement date to be confirmed). The scheme aims to provide an opportunity for Hong Kong youths aged between 18 and 30 to broaden their horizon, allowing them to experience foreign culture through living and working temporarily while holidaymaking overseas. At the same time, youths of our partner economies may also learn more about Hong Kong through the scheme.

5.38A majority of partner economies allow Hong Kong youths to stay in their economies for up to 12 months and take up short-term employment to subsidise their expenses, and/or study short-term courses (except for Ireland) while holidaying.

5.39The WHS has been well received among young people. As at the end of 2020, about 97 000 Hong Kong youths participated in the scheme. The LD will continue to enhance the publicity of this scheme, and explore with more economies to establish new WHS or expand existing bilateral arrangements in order to provide more choices and opportunities for Hong Kong youths to participate in the scheme.

Regulating Local Employment Agencies and Employment outside Hong Kong

5.40The LD regulates employment agencies in Hong Kong through licensing, inspection, complaint investigation and prosecution. In 2020, we issued 3 239 employment agency licences and revoked or refused to issue seven licences. As at the end of 2020, there were 3 331 licensed employment agencies in Hong Kong. A total of 1 405 inspections were made by the LD officers to employment agencies in the year.

5.41We promulgate the Code of Practice for Employment Agencies (the Code) for compliance by the industry with a view to promoting professionalism and service quality in the industry. At the same time, the dedicated Employment Agencies Portal (www.eaa.labour.gov.hk) provides employment agency operators and staff, job seekers, employers and other members of the public with updated information related to the regulation of employment agencies. The portal also publishes the records of conviction of the offences of overcharging and unlicensed operation, revocation or refusal of renewal of licence and written warnings issued for non-compliance with the Code, so as to assist members of the public in making informed decisions when engaging the services of employment agencies. The enhanced transparency also helps foster the adoption of good practices by the industry.

5.42The LD also safeguards the interests of local employees engaged by employers outside Hong Kong to work in other territories by attesting all employment contracts entered into in Hong Kong involving manual employees and non-manual employees with monthly wages not exceeding $20,000.

Regulating Labour Importation

Supplementary Labour Scheme (SLS)

5.43The LD administers the SLS which operates on the principles of ensuring the employment priority for local workers while allowing employers with proven recruitment difficulties to apply for the importation of workers at technician level or below.

5.44We provide active job matching and referral services for local job seekers to ensure their employment priority. Vacancies under the SLS are also widely publicised. Local workers can attend tailor-made retraining courses, if appropriate, to better equip themselves to fill the vacancies. Applications from employers who have set restrictive and unreasonable job requirements or who have no sincerity in employing local workers will be rejected.

5.45As at the end of 2020, there were 5 158 imported workers working in Hong Kong under the SLS.

Policy on Foreign Domestic Helpers (FDHs)

5.46FDHs have been admitted to work in Hong Kong since the 1970s. Apart from enjoying the same statutory rights and benefits as all employees in Hong Kong, the FDHs are further protected by a Government-prescribed Standard Employment Contract, which stipulates that the employer has to provide to the FDH free accommodation with reasonable privacy, free food (or food allowance in lieu), free passage to and from the FDH’s place of origin, free medical treatment, etc. The FDHs also enjoy wage protection through the Government-prescribed Minimum Allowable Wage (MAW), under which employers have to pay the FDHs a salary no less than the prevailing MAW when the contracts are signed. The Government attaches great importance to safeguarding the FDHs’ statutory and contractual rights. The LD spares no efforts in investigating suspected offence cases and prosecution action will be taken out if there is sufficient evidence.

5.47In order to strengthen the protection of the FDHs and enhance their awareness of their rights and benefits, the LD continued to organise a host of publicity and educational activities and maintained close liaison with the governments of the FDH source countries and their consulates-general in Hong Kong, NGOs serving the FDHs, and the FDH employer groups to discuss matters relating to furthering the protection of the FDHs. As for employers, we introduced the LD’s services and support channels through producing newsletters, etc.

5.48The LD set up in September 2020 a dedicated FDH Division to ensure effective coordination and implementation of measures to enhance protection of the FDHs, and to provide better support to the FDHs and their employers. The FDH Division’s major responsibilities include enhancing publicity and education work to improve the FDHs’ and their employers’ understanding of their respective employment rights and obligations; providing support services for the FDHs and their employers; supporting the implementation of FDH policy measures; and exploring new FDH source countries.

5.49During the COVID-19 pandemic, the LD provided several rounds of free testing service for the FDHs. Extensive publicity and educational activities on social distancing measures were launched, including conducting mobile broadcasts in Chinese, English and major languages of the FDHs in popular gathering places of the FDHs on Saturdays and Sundays to call upon them to comply with the regulations on mask-wearing and prohibition of group gatherings in public places. Also, the LD collaborated with relevant departments to conduct joint operations against behaviours in contravention of social distancing measures and take appropriate enforcement actions.

5.50As at the end of 2020, there were 373 884 FDHs in Hong Kong, with 55.5% coming from the Philippines and 42.2% from Indonesia.