EMPLOYMENT
23
for their first jobs. This unexpectedly high figure was due to the by-census taking place in August, just after the end of the school
year.
As most countries maintain strict control over the entry of foreign nationals seeking work, opportunities overseas for Hong Kong Chinese are limited. Hong Kong itself has a good labour market and it is not easy to recruit workers for employment abroad unless the wages offered are particularly attractive. Under the Contracts for Overseas Employment Ordinance, which is based on International Labour Conventions, legislative effect has been given to the provisions of the relevant Conventions that every overseas contract for a manual worker is required to be in writing and signed by the employer, or his representative, and the worker. The overseas contract must be presented for attestation by the Commis- sioner of Labour. The ordinance does not apply to any one who is a crew member of a ship or aircraft; or who holds an employment voucher issued under the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962; or has been granted admission, on a permanent basis, to an overseas territory. The maximum period of service which may be stipulated in any such contract must not exceed two years if the worker is unaccompanied by his family, or three years if he is. When the original contract expires, a worker may enter into a re-engagement contract. A worker for overseas employment also has to be medically examined before leaving Hong Kong. The cost of the examination and of all other formalities is borne by the prospective employer. In enforcing the Contracts for Overseas Employment Ordinance, the Labour Department works in close co-operation with the Im- migration Department.
During the year, 2,368 workers went overseas for employment compared with 2,002 the previous year and 1,416 in 1965. Few of these workers were accompanied by dependants. The number of workers recruited for Malaysia and Brunei increased during the year, and these countries, which mainly require domestic servants, fishermen and skilled and semi-skilled workers in the building trade, continued to be the main receiving areas. The British Phosphate Commission also recruited through a local agent 163 workers for Nauru and Ocean Islands. This figure shows a decrease for the second successive year. Re-engagement contracts, as required under the Contracts for Overseas Employment Ordinance, numbered 1,093.