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WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 1990
HOWEVER, IT MIGHT BE NECESSARY TO
REOPEN THE SCHEME FOR APPLICATION AT THE END OF TWO YEARS. IN THIS CASE, THE FIRM'S INVESTMENT IN INDUSTRIAL EFFICIENCY AND IN LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY WOULD BE IMPORTANT FACTORS IN DECIDING WHETHER IT MAY IMPORT FOREIGN LABOUR FOR A FURTHER TWO YEAR PERIOD, MR YEUNG SAID.
FOR
HE ADDED THAT AN EXAMINATION OF THE WAY THE CURRENT SCHEME TECHNICIANS/CRAFTSMEN HAD BEEN ADMINISTERED SUGGESTED THAT CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS SHOULD BE MADE IN BOTH ADMISSION CRITERIA AND PROCEDURE.
ONE
HE NOTED THAT AGAINST A QUOTA OF 3,000 UNDER THE CURRENT SCHEME, ONLY 2,718 HAD BEEN APPROVED AND ONLY 1,809 VISAS HAD BREN ISSUED. THE SOMEWHAT SLOW TAKE-UP WAS DUE TO A NUMBER OF FACTORS. DIFFICULTY COULD BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE ABSENCE OF GUIDANCE PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYERS OVER THE GOING WAGE, AND THIS HAD OFTEN LED TO ARGUMENT BETWEEN PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYERS AND THE GOVERNMENT.
FOR
ANOTHER DIFFICULTY COULD BE TRACED TO THE REQUIREMENT IN THE CURRENT SCHEME THAT THE PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYER MUST NOT ALLOW MORE THAN 20 PER CENT OF JOBS OF THE SAME SKILL IN HIS BUSINESS TO BE FILLED BY IMPORTED WORKERS.
A
"THIS REQUIREMENT HAD RESULTED IN THE REJECTION OF CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS THAT OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED.
TO TACKLE THESE PROBLEMS, MR YEUNG SAID, MEDIAN WAGES WOULD BE PUBLISHED AND BE ACCEPTED AS REPRESENTING THE GOING WAGES FOR IMPORTED LABOUR, AND THE 20 PER CENT CEILING FOR IMPORTED WORKERS WOULD BE REMOVED.
THESE CHANGES WOULD BE APPLIED TO ALL THE THREE SCHEMES OF IMPORTATION OF LABOUR, MR YEUNG SAID.
HE ALSO SAID THE REVIEW OF POLICY TO ALLOW FURTHER LEGAL IMPORTATION OF LABOUR DID NOT MEAN THAT GOVERNMENT WOULD RELAX ITS ON- GOING POLICY TO ARREST AND REPATRIATE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO SOUGHT TO ENTER HONG KONG, OR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO MIGHT CURRENTLY BE HERE.
THE GOVERNMENT STRONGLY REFUTES ANY NOTION OF AN AMNESTY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. THERE WILL BE NO AMNESTY.
FOR
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