XN000022-1995-11-02 — Page 52

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Importation of Labour

I share the concern of many Members over the current difficulties faced by the unemployed in finding jobs. But a complete ban on the importation of labour is not the panecea. As an open and flexible economy, Hong Kong must have the option to supplement our workforce with imported workers to fill vacancies that cannot be filled locally. This ability to respond quickly to labour requirements is a major component in the maintenance and furtherance of our competitiveness. There may also be jobs which, because of their nature, may no longer be attractive to our now more sophisticated labour force.

When the General Labour Importation Scheme was introduced in 1989, the labour market was very different from what it is now. We have conducted a thorough review of this scheme and put forward proposals for its termination and replacement by a very limited Supplementary Labour Scheme. Critics of the proposed Supplementary Labour Scheme claim that in essence it is the same as the General Scheme but with a new name.

This is not a fair nor reasonable comment. Our proposed scheme is different from the existing scheme in three main areas. First, it has no industry sub-quota; application for imported labour will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Secondly, the application has to pass three tests i.e. open recruitment, Labour Department's job matching programme and the alternative of ERB retraining, before it is processed further. Thirdly, the operation of the scheme will be monitored by the Labour Advisory Board and by the Manpower Panel of the Legislative Council.

In short, our proposal ensures that local workers have first priority and every opportunity to fill the available vacancies. I challenge anyone to propose a more open, fair and strict scheme. This perhaps explains why public feedback as expressed in an independent opinion poll and media comments have been generally very supportive of the Government's proposal. The Labour Advisory Board (LAB) has met earlier this afternoon to discuss the proposed Supplementary Labour Scheme. I am glad to inform Members that the LAB has agreed in principle to take on the role of monitoring the operation of the Scheme. Procedures for vetting the applications and monitoring the Scheme have been discussed and will be finalised having regard to the advice of LAB members. They will be both stringent and transparent.