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EMPLOYMENT

Helping the Disabled Find Jobs

The Selective Placement Division of the Labour Department helps people with a disability integrate into the community through open employment. It provides a free employment counselling and placement service for the hearing impaired, sight impaired, physically handicapped, chronically ill, ex-mentally ill and mentally handicapped. In 2003, the division launched a series of activities to promote the employment of people with a disability. It recorded 4 309 job-seekers with a disability and achieved 2 442 placements.

Employment Agencies

The Employment Agencies Administration of the Labour Department enforces Part XII of the Employment Ordinance and the Employment Agency Regulations. It monitors the operation of employment agencies through licensing, inspection and investigation of complaints. In 2003, it issued 1 393 employment agency licences, revoked four such licences, refused to renew one licence and refused to issue two licences.

Employment Outside Hong Kong

The External Employment Service of the Labour Department administers the Contracts for Employment Outside Hong Kong Ordinance to safeguard the interests of local employees engaged to work outside Hong Kong for foreign employers. All employment contracts involving manual employees, or non-manual employees with monthly wages not exceeding $20,000, must be attested by the Commissioner for Labour.

Telephone. Enquiry Service

The Labour Department's Telephone Enquiry Service handles general enquiries on labour legislation and on services offered by the department. Guided by an interactive voice processing system, callers can listen to pre-recorded messages and obtain fax information 24 hours a day by making a selection from a wide range of topics. The service is supplemented by staff operators handling more complicated enquiries during office hours. The service handled 1 187 809 calls in 2003.

Preparing People for Work

Careers Guidance

The Careers Advisory Service of the Labour Department, through the promotion of careers education, helps young people to choose a career best suited to their talents, interests and abilities and also supports careers teachers with back-up information. The public can also access careers information published by the service through its website.

Throughout the year, the service arranged student group visits to its Careers Information Centres and various commercial and industrial establishments. Its Education and Careers Expo 2003 attracted 184 359 visitors and a total of 159 037 students took part in its Careers Quiz 2003.