ENG-1990 — Page 142

EMPLOYMENT

its work and to promote the employability of the disabled. A ceremony was held in November to give recognition to employers who took on the largest number of disabled employees or who made special efforts to facilitate the employment of the disabled in the preceding 12 months. Disabled employees who gave outstanding performances during the year were commended on that occasion. A seven-day exhibition on Employment Opportunities of the Disabled was organised in the same month to show the public the working potential of disabled persons, and the training facilities and technical aids avail- able to them.

Careers Guidance

The Careers Advisory Service of the Labour Department provides careers information and guidance to help young people choose a career best suited to their interests, talents and abilities. Its activities include giving careers talks, organising careers days, quizzes, exhibitions and seminars, and visits to commercial and industrial establishments to give students a better insight into the world of work.

To promote careers education, the service organises annually a one-year part-time certificate course for careers teachers in conjunction with the Education Department and the University of Hong Kong. The service has also published a Concise Guide to a Careers Programme for teachers, to assist them in planning programmes for their students.

The service also produces careers pamphlets, job sheets and a monthly newsletter. With a donation from the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club and funds raised by the Labour Advisory Board Committee on Employment Services, the service has produced a series of 12 careers education films for public viewing. The films were also telecast in the summer.

The service now operates four careers information centres, each equipped with a reference library, an audio-visual unit with sound-on-slides, cassette tapes and videos, and an enquiry service on employment and training opportunities. In 1990, the centres received 27 025 visitors while the service handled 35 044 consultations.

Foreign Workers

The Immigration Department is responsible for controlling the entry of foreign workers for employment in Hong Kong. Generally speaking, foreigners who have special skills or experience not readily available in Hong Kong are allowed entry. Those who are able to contribute substantially to the economic well-being of Hong Kong, such as bankers and entrepreneurs and other persons whose activities are likely to stimulate local employment, are also considered for entry. In all cases, normal immigration requirements must be met. The Immigration Department considers special cases in consultation with the Labour Department and other expert departments.

During the year, 11913 professionals and other persons with technical expertise or administrative and managerial skills from over 30 countries were admitted for em- ployment.

Subsequent to the introduction of a special scheme in May 1989 to provide for the importation of 3 000 skilled workers on contracts not exceeding two years, a review was conducted during the year which indicated a persistence in the general shortage of labour in the local market and a need to continue with the scheme. It was decided in May 1990 to allow employers to recruit from outside Hong Kong up to 2 700 skilled workers at the

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