Chapter 6
Employment
The Government facilitates employment, safeguards workers' rights and benefits, ensures workplaces are safe and healthy, and promotes harmonious employer- employee relations.
Hong Kong's hard-working, adaptable workforce is one of its most valuable assets and a key contributor to the city's economic competitiveness. The labour market improved in 2012, but the continuing uncertain global economic situation presents challenges which the Government has taken steps to meet. These include upgrading workers' skills to make them more employable and competitive, improving the business environment, introducing measures to create jobs and enhancing labour market efficiency.
During 2012, the Employees Retraining Board offered over 130,000 training places to help in- service workers to upgrade their skills, and to help those seeking job change and the unemployed to re-enter the labour market. The Government also continued to offer special help to the less competitive workers.
The Labour Department assists job seekers to enter or re-enter the labour market through a number of employment initiatives, including the Employment Programme for the Middle-aged, the Pilot Employment Navigator Programme, the Youth Pre-employment Training Programme and Youth Work Experience and Training Scheme, the Youth Employment Start, the Work Orientation and Placement Scheme for job seekers with disabilities, and job fairs.
The Government promotes harmonious employer-employee relations, protects employees' rights and benefits, and safeguards employees' safety and health at work.
Labour Market Situation
Hong Kong's labour force comprised 3.79 million people in 2012, representing a rise of 2.2 per cent over 2011. Among the labour force in 2012, 52.1 per cent were men and 47.9 per cent
were women.
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