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Feasibility of introducing legislation to accord priority to local workers in employment
The second part of the Motion proposes to examine the feasibility of introducing legislation to accord priority to local workers in employment. As we have explained to the Manpower Panel last month, we do not see any need to legislate for such purpose. We already have sufficient administrative safeguards under our importation policy to ensure that priority of employment will be given to local workers. The way ahead is to strengthen the effectiveness of such measures. This we will examine in our review.
Moreover, Hong Kong's economic success, and its continued success, hinges largely on the effective operation of our free market economy. By enacting legislation to intervene with the employers' freedom of choosing suitable employees and the employees' freedom of choosing jobs will unnecessarily hamper the free market mechanism. As such, it will only tarnish Hong Kong's reputation as a world-renowned international business centre, and risk discouraging both existing and potential investors from pursuing their business plans in Hong Kong. This is indeed a price which Hong Kong as a whole cannot afford to pay. Lastly, even if such legislation were proved necessary and feasible, it will be extremely difficult if not impossible to have it enforced effectively, without at the same time causing serious disruption to the labour market, damaging our harmonious labour relationship, and unnecessarily restricting the freedom of choice.
Integration of existing Local Employment Service and Employees Retraining Scheme
But apart from the employment problems facing local workers, the Government is equally concerned about the same problem facing employers. Both parties should therefore be brought together to communicate with each other direct to resolve this paradoxical problem through mutually agreed means.
We have therefore started this process through our Pilot Job Matching Programme launched on the first of April this year through an integration of the existing services of the Local Employment Service (LES) and the Employees Retraining Board. At five selected offices, actual job vacancies from employers arc being matched with unemployed persons at or over 30 years of age registered at these offices. We give active employment and counselling services to these job-seekers and make direct job referrals. The Employees Retraining Board is also arranging tailor- made retraining courses to strengthen their adaptability. So far the Programme has registered 286 people and has successfully placed 81 of them in jobs with monthly wages ranging from $4,000 to $11,000.