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"AND, OF COURSE,
IN THE CASE OF CHINA, TRADITIONAL AND CULTURAL LINKS, INCLUDING A COMMON LANGUAGE, ENABLE A CLOSER PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP TO BE DEVELOPED BETWEEN BUSINESS PARTNERS THAN WOULD OTHERWISE BE POSSIBLE," MR WONG SAID.
INDEED, HONG KONG'S INDUSTRIAL MACHINERY GENERALLY HAD A GOOD REPUTATION IN CHINA, PARTICULARLY IN GUANGDONG, WHICH ABSORBED SIZEABLE SHARE OF THE INDUSTRY'S EXPORTS.
WITHIN HONG KONG ITSELF, HE SAID, THE NEED ΤΟ DIVERSIFY INTO HIGHER VALUE-ADDED AND BETTER ENGINEERED PRODUCTS DEMANDED THE USE OF MORE AUTOMATED AND FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING METHODS.
MOULDS FOR THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY, FOR EXAMPLE, COULD NOW BE DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED QUICKLY WITH THE HELP OF COMPUTERISED WORKSTATIONS.
SIMILARLY, MANUFACTURERS OF HAND-HELD OR LAP-TOP OFFICE EQUIPMENT COULD DESIGN CUSTOMISED ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRIES AND ASSEMBLE AND TEST CIRCUIT BOARDS FAR MORE QUICKLY WITH SURFACE MOUNTING EQUIPMENT THAN BY CONVENTIONAL MEANS.
"ALTHOUGH TECHNOLOGY IS IMPORTANT IN THIS PROCESS OF CHANGE. THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IS THE HUMAN ONE," MR WONG SAID.
"HONG KONG POSSESSES ONLY ONE BASIC RESOURCE, THE SKILL AND MOTIVATION OF ITS WORKFORCE.
I SEE THE 1990'S AS A DECADE IN WHICH THE CONTINUED SUCCESS AND PROSPERITY OF OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WILL INCREASINGLY BE DEPENDENT ON HONG KONG'S TECHNOLOGICAL CAPABILITY, THE AVAILABILITY OF A POOL OF PROFESSIONAL AND ENGINEERING EXPERTISE AND A SKILLED AND WELL TRAINED WORKFORCE, HE SAID.
F
AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE BOOMING ECONOMY IN LABOUR MARKET WAS TIGHT, WITH UNEMPLOYMENT RUNNING CENT.
RECENT
YEARS, THE AT ONLY 1.7 PER
IN ADDITION, OUR MANUFACTURERS WERE FACING STIFF COMPETITION FROM THE SERVICE SECTOR FOR MANPOWER.
THERE WAS A FURTHER SHORTFALL DUE TO PEOPLE PURSUING STUDIES ABROAD AND EMIGRATING.
"WHILE MEASURES SUCH AS IMPORTING LIMITED NUMBERS OF LABOURERS MAY HELP TO EASE THE SITUATION IN THE SHORT TERM, THE ONLY LONG TERM SOLUTION IS TO DEVELOP THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING FACILITIES YOUNG PEOPLE IN HONG KONG TO PREPARE THEM TO PLAY THEIR PART PROCESS OF CHANGE FROM SIMPLE LABOUR INTENSIVE OPERATIONS TECHNOLOGY PROCESSES REQUIRING SMALLER NUMBERS HIGHLY SKILLED - TECHNICIANS AND CRAFTSMEN.'
OPEN TO IN THIS
OF
-
BUT
TO HIGHER MUCH MORE
[
THE PLANNED EXTENSION OF SIXTH FORM EDUCATION TO PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS IN 1992, THE PROPOSED INCREASES IN UNDERGRADUATE NUMBERS UNDERTAKING TERTIARY EDUCATION AND THE GROWTH OF VTC TRAINING AND APPRENTICESHIP SCHEMES ARE ALL PARTS OF THE GOVERNMENT'S PLAN TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF CHANGE, HE SAID.
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