XN000022-1990-06-01 — Page 9

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 1990

AND

"APPLICATIONS FOR THE ENTRY OF QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS PERSONS TO FILL POSITIONS FOR WHICH RECRUITMENT OF EXPATRIATES IS COMMONPLACE ARE NORMALLY APPROVED," HE SAID.

STATING THAT STATISTICS SHOWED THERM WAS FLEXIBILITY, MR LEUNG SAID IN 1985, THE DEPARTMENT HAD APPROVED 15,873 APPLICATIONS FOR EMPLOYMENT VISAS. THE NUMBER ROSE TO 17,424 IN 1986, 21,099 IN 1987, 25,564 IN 1988, AND 31,601 IN 1989.

"IN THE PROFESSIONAL, TECHNICAL, ADMINISTRATIVE AND MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL CATEGORIES, THE NUMBERS APPROVED ROSE FROM 3,823 IN 1985 6,426 IN 1989," HE NOTED.

TO

MR LEUNG ALSO POINTED OUT THAT, AT THE LOWER END OF THE SCALE, AS A MEANS TO ALLEVIATE THE SHORTAGE OF LABOUR, THE GOVERNMENT HAD, SINCE MAY LAST YEAR, IMPLEMENTED A SPECIAL SCHEME TO IMPORT 3,000 SKILLED WORKERS AT TECHNICIAN, CRAFTSMAN AND SUPERVISOR LEVELS.

THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT'S RECORD SHOWED THAT 617 EMPLOYERS APPLIED UNDER THE SCHEME BEFORE THE CLOSING DATE OF JUNE 30, 1989, INVOLVING A TOTAL OF 8,479 WORKERS.

AFTER PRELIMINARY VETTING APPROVAL IN PRINCIPLE THE ENTRY OF 2,718 WORKERS, HE SAID.

WAS GIVEN TO

OF THESE, 1,877 HAD SUBMITTED FORMAL VISA APPLICATIONS WITH THE TAKE-UP RATE BEING ABOUT 69.1 PER CENT. WORKERS FROM CHINA TOTALLED 1,655, REPRESENTING ABOUT 88.2 PER CENT OF THE APPLICATIONS RECEIVED BY THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT, MR LEUNG SAID.

"SO FAR, 1,809 APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN APPROVED, 31 REFUSED AND 40 WITHDRAWN AND 1,703 WORKERS HAVE ALREADY ARRIVED. THOSE REFUSED ARE MAINLY WORKERS WHO DO NOT HAVE THE SKILLS OR EXPERIENCE REQUIRED OF THE JOB," HE SAID.

MR LEUNG SAID THE GOVERNMENT WAS CONSCIOUS OF THE NEED TO INCREASE THE SUPPLY OF CERTAIN ESSENTIAL CATEGORIES OF MANPOWER IN ORDER TO COMPLEMENT CAPITAL INVESTMENT AND BUSINESS EXPANSION.

HE NOTED THAT THIS WEEK THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL HAD ENDORSED PROPOSALS TO WIDEN THE EXISTING SCHEME TO INCLUDE EXPERIENCED OPERATIVES IN ADDITION TO SKILLED WORKERS.

"IN IMPLEMENTATION, FACTORS SUCH AS WHICH CERTAIN INDUSTRIES COULD AUTOMATE AND TRAINED AND EXPERIENCED LABOUR ARISING FROM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES IN THE PIPELINE WOULD CONSIDERATION, HE SAID.

THE LIMITED EXTENT TO THE LONG-TERM NEED FOR MASSIVE, INFRASTRUCTURAL CERTAINLY BE TAKEN INTO

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