THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 1991
CS STRESSES THE IMPORTANCE OF MANPOWER TRAINING
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THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID FORD TODAY (THURSDAY) STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF INVESTMENT IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TO THE CHANGING AND EXPANDING ECONOMY OF HONG KONG.
ENVIRONMENT
SIR DAVID POINTED OUT THAT IN A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE HONG KONG'S MANUFACTURING AND SERVICE INDUSTRIES WERE INCREASINGLY DEMANDING HIGHLY EDUCATED, COMPUTER LITERATE MANAGERS, WHO WERE CAPABLE OF TAKING A REGIONAL AS WELL AS A GLOBAL VIEW OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES.
SIR DAVID WAS ADDRESSING THE NEW YEAR LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE HONG KONG EXPORTERS' ASSOCIATION.
HE SAID IN 1989, THE EDUCATION AND MANPOWER BRANCH LAUNCHED AN EXERCISE TO GET A BETTER FIX OF THE ECONOMIC TRENDS AND TO ASCERTAIN FUTURE MANPOWER REQUIREMENTS BY OCCUPATION AND BROAD EDUCATIONAL SKILLS.
ITS MOST SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS, SIR DAVID SAID, CONCERNED THE INCREASING DEMAND FOR PROFESSIONAL, TECHNICAL AND MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL.
"THUS,
WHILE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE EMPLOYED IS LIKELY то GROW ONLY MODESTLY OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, THE DEMAND FOR PROFESSIONAL, TECHNICAL AND MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL IS GOING TO GROW VERY RAPIDLY: BY ABOUT 26 PER CENT BETWEEN 1988 AND 1996.
"IN ADDITION, THEIR SHARE OF TOTAL EMPLOYMENT WILL RISE MARKEDLY FROM 13 PER CENT TO 16 PER CENT," HE SAID.
EVEN MORE ILLUMINATING FOR THOSE WHO HAD BEEN FORECASTING THE DEMISE OF MANUFACTURING IN HONG KONG, THE CHIEF SECRETARY SAID THE PROPORTION OF SUCH PEOPLE IN THE MANUFACTURING WORKFORCE WAS LIKELY TO RISE OVER THE SAME PERIOD, FROM JUST OVER SIX PER CENT TO JUST OVER EIGHT PER CENT.
HE NOTED THAT THIS WAS PARTICULARLY ENCOURAGING GIVEN THAT 10 AGO THE FIGURE WAS ONLY HALF THIS AND THAT OF HONG KONG’S NEIGHBOURS, FOR EXAMPLE, JAPAN REACHED EIGHT PER CENT ONLY IN 1988.
YEARS
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BOTTOM LINE IS THAT, ALLOWING FOR WASTAGE, BETWEEN 1989 AND 1996, WE WILL NEED UP ΤΟ 240,000 NEW ENTRANTS FOR THESE OCCUPATION, OF WHOM 40 PER CENT WILL NEED TO BE FIRST-DEGREE HOLDERS.
"THIS IS WHAT IS DRIVING OUR MANPOWER POLICIES AND PARTICULAR EDUCATION, SIR DAVID SAID.
THE
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IN
ON THE SUPPLY OF MANPOWER IN THE 1
1990S, SIR DAVID SUMMED UP GOVERNMENT'S STRATEGY IN THREE WORDS: RETENTION, PRODUCTION AND
ATTRACTION.
/BY RETENTION,