ENG-1997 — Page 173

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EMPLOYMENT

Careers Guidance

The Careers Advisory Service of the Labour Department, through the promotion of careers education, helps young people choose a career best suited to their talents, interests and abilities. It also provides careers teachers with back-up information.

The service operates two careers information centres disseminating careers information through written and audio-visual materials. The public can also access careers information published by the service through the Careers Info Express, a bulletin board system accessible by computers equipped with modem.

The service also organises a wide range of careers guidance activities for young people. The seventh Education and Careers Expo organised in February attracted more than 185 000 visitors. A total of 159 713 students took part in the 16th Careers Quiz organised in October. Throughout the year, the service arranged student group visits to careers information centres and various commercial and industrial establishments.

Imported Workers

The Immigration Department controls the entry of imported workers. Foreigners may work or invest in Hong Kong if they possess a special skill, knowledge or experience of value to and not readily available in Hong Kong, or if they can make a substantial contribution to the economy.

The department applies the policy in a flexible manner. Genuine businessmen and entrepreneurs are welcome to establish a presence in Hong Kong, bringing with them capital and expertise. Qualified professionals, technical staff, administrators and managerial personnel are also admitted with minimum formalities. During the year, 16 561 professionals and persons with technical, administrative or managerial skills from more than 50 countries were admitted for employment.

The government's policy on importation of labour is based on two cardinal principles:

(a) Local workers must be given priority in filling job vacancies available in the

job market,

(b) Employers who are genuinely unable to recruit local workers to fill their job

vacancies should be allowed to import workers.

The government operates two labour importation schemes - the Supplementary Labour Scheme and the Special Labour Importation Scheme for the New Airport and Related Projects.

The Supplementary Labour Scheme commenced on February 1, 1996. All applications are considered on a case-by-case basis. To ensure priority of employment for local workers, each application for imported workers has to pass three tests before it is submitted to the Secretary for Education and Manpower for a decision newspaper advertisements, job-matching by the Labour Department for two months (plus tailor-made retraining course for workers, if possible) and consideration by the Labour Advisory Board. In 1997, a total of 2 893 visas was approved and a cumulative total of 3 174 visa applications had been approved up to the end of December 1997 since the implementation of the scheme. The government is reviewing it.

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