ENG-1998 — Page 174

EMPLOYMENT

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The board is empowered to hear and determine all employment claims involving not more than 10 claimants for a sum of money not exceeding $8,000 per claimant.

During the year, the board heard 2 666 cases and made awards amounting to $7.51 million.

Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund

The Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund is financed by an annual levy of $250 on each business registration certificate. Employees who are owed wages and other employment termination benefits by their insolvent employers may apply to the fund for ex gratia payment.

The fund covers arrears of wages not exceeding $36,000 accrued during a period of four months preceding the applicant's last day of service; wages in lieu of notice for termination of employment up to $22,500 or one month's wages, whichever is less; and severance payment up to $36,000, plus 50 per cent of any entitlement in excess of $36,000. The fund received 15 673 applications and paid out a total of $362.9 million to 11 810 applicants in 1998.

Finding Employment

The Employment Services Division (ESD) of the Labour Department provides free recruitment assistance to employers and a placement service to job-seekers through its network of 10 Local Employment Service (LES) offices, including a special centre to provide employment and guidance services for new arrivals. Through the Job Matching Programme (JMP), the division provides intensive job-matching and counselling service to unemployed job-seekers. The division also operates the Outreaching Placement Service which offers registration service at the work place to the affected workers in major retrenchments.

The division fully computerised its employment services centres in 1998, resulting in more efficient and effective job-matching process and retrieval of vacancy information. It also set up a Job Vacancy Processing Centre to enhance operational efficiency and provide a more convenient recruitment service to employers. A second Employment and Guidance Centre for New Arrivals was planned for late March 1999.

In the light of rising unemployment in 1998, the Labour Department implemented measures introduced by the Task Force on Employment to help the unemployed find jobs. These measures included strengthening the JMP to provide more unemployed persons with personalised placement services, introducing a new telephone employment service to reduce the need for job registrants to revisit the LES office for follow-up services and setting up a centre to centralise this new mode of service. It displays employers' particulars so job-seekers can contact them directly for interviews. More self-served touch-screen computers have been installed at all LES offices and 10 Labour Relations Service offices to enhance job-seekers' access to up- to-date vacancy information. An Employment Information and Promotion Programme was launched to strengthen the collection of employment market information and the promotion of its employment services to employers and job seekers. Promotional activities such as job bazaars and exhibitions were organised to publicise ESD services.