XN000022-1996-09-12 — Page 7

5.

Governor: I think it would be both unwise and unreasonable of me to say what we are proposing to do before we have consulted on those studies because we want to have the advice of the employers and employees as well as, of course, as the informed and experienced input that we will get from the Employees Retraining Board, and in addition to that from those who have been involved in vocational training in Hong Kong for many years.

We are talking about a huge contribution to the skills of our work force. We are talking, I suppose, in any one year of the training which about 150,000 Hong Kong people, Hong Kong men and women receive. That is an enormous contribution to their well-being and it is a considerable contribution to Hong Kong's as well. We don't have any natural resources in Hong Kong except the people who live here and that is why investment in education and training is so vitally important and that is why we want to work with Mr Tam and the Employees Retraining Board and we want to work with the Vocational Training Council in ensuring that Hong Kong has a first- class set of training arrangements as well as a first-class education system. Thank you very much indeed.

End

Governor's Employment Summit opening statement

Following is a transcript of the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten's opening statement at the third Summit on Employment held today (Thursday):

Good afternoon and welcome. I feel slightly discriminated against - there is no bitter melon today.

When we held the last summit on employment about 10 months ago in November last year, it is worth recalling that our unemployment rate was at what I think was a ten year high point of 3.6%. As one might expect in a dynamic economy like ours, the labour market has undergone very considerable changes since then.

I think it is useful to have this meeting today and I am grateful to all of you for attending when I know you have got many other responsibilities. I think it is a useful time for us to take stock of the latest developments in the labour market, to look at the results of what we have done so far to tackle the unemployment and related problems, and perhaps to exchange views about what has gone wrong and what may have gone slightly better. We will be interested to hear from you about any improvements you think we should make in our existing labour market arrangements or any changes that we should make to the measures introduced during the last nine or 10 months.