ENG-1987 — Page 118

EMPLOYMENT

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The Higher Education Employment Service provides free employment assistance to job-seekers who possess either university, post-secondary or professional qualifications. To facilitate its operation, the service has installed a computer to handle job-matching and produce promotional materials. During the year, 412 people found employment through this service. In September, seven seminars were organised for those job seekers who had registered with the Higher Education Employment Service to enable them to have a better understanding of the labour market situation so as to assist them to find suitable jobs.

The Selective Placement Division provides a free employment counselling and placement service to the blind, the deaf, the physically handicapped, the mentally retarded and discharged mental patients seeking open employment. The division operates from three offices in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories.

The placement of socially maladjusted job-seekers is still the responsibility of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service and other voluntary agencies.

During the year, the Selective Placement Division launched a series of activities to publicise its work and to promote the employability of the disabled. In 1987, some 1 030 disabled persons were placed in employment.

Careers Guidance

The Youth Employment Advisory Service of the Labour Department provides careers guidance to young people through various programmes and activities. In 1987, officers of the service delivered 529 careers talks in 375 schools and five voluntary agencies, covering an audience of 96 087. Regional careers projects were organised jointly with the Vocational Training Council. Some 1 000 students from 40 schools took part in a Work Orientation Programme which comprised 40 visits to various establishments in the private and public sectors. In addition, more than 100 000 students from 248 secondary schools took part in the annual careers quiz.

The 16th annual careers exhibition was held for the first time at the Sha Tin Town Hall in collaboration with the Regional Council. It aimed to show young people the widest possible range of information on careers available in Hong Kong. Altogether, 22 exhibitors from commerce, industry, the services, professional bodies and the government took part in the 10-day exhibition which attracted some 84 000 visitors.

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To promote careers education, the service organises annually a certificate course and a seminar for careers teachers in co-operation with the Education Department and the Hong Kong Association of Careers Masters and Guidance Masters. It also produces various careers publications which are distributed free of charge to schools, youth centres and other interested persons.

At present, the service operates three careers information centres, each equipped with a reference library and audio-visual recordings of information on employment and training opportunities. In 1987, the centres recorded a total of 34 288 visitors who made use of the facilities there.

Overseas Employment

The Contracts for Employment Outside Hong Kong Ordinance requires employment contracts entered into in Hong Kong by manual workers who take up employment outside Hong Kong to be attested by the Commissioner for Labour before the employee leaves Hong Kong. An employer or his agent who fails to comply with the provision is liable on conviction to a fine of $50,000. During the year, 255 contracts were attested, compared with 256 in 1986.