ENG-2008 — Page 182

134 | Employment

Employment of Non-local Students

Starting from May 19, 2008, non-local fresh graduates of full-time locally-accredited programmes run at degree level or above may apply to stay for one year in Hong Kong to take up employment. Those who have previously obtained a degree or higher qualification in a full-time locally-accredited programme in Hong Kong may also apply to return to Hong Kong for employment so long as the job they have secured is of the kind commonly taken up by degree-holders and is remunerated at market rates.

Supplementary Labour Scheme

Under the Supplementary Labour Scheme, employers may apply to import workers to fill vacancies at technician level or below. The Government's policy on importation of labour is based on two cardinal principles:

•

⚫ local workers must be given priority in filling job vacancies available in the

market; and

• employers who are genuinely unable to recruit local workers to fill their vacancies should be allowed to import workers.

All applications made under the scheme are considered on a case-by-case basis. To ensure priority of employment for local workers, each application to import workers has to comply with three procedural requirements before it is submitted to the Labour Advisory Board for consideration and to the Government for a decision.

The requirements are: advertising in newspapers, job-matching by the Labour Department for four weeks, and organising retraining courses with the assistance of the Employees Retraining Board for local workers, if appropriate.

At the end of 2008, there were 1338 imported workers working in Hong Kong.

Foreign Domestic Helpers

Foreign domestic helpers may be admitted if they have relevant working experience and if their employers are Hong Kong residents who are prepared to offer terms of employment as stipulated in the standard employment contract prescribed by the Government, including free and suitable accommodation, free meals or meal allowance in lieu, wages not lower than the minimum allowable wage set by the Government, free passage from and to the helper's place of origin and free medical treatment. Employers must also meet the requirements on income and

assets.

The demand for foreign domestic helpers has increased steadily over the past three decades. At the end of 2008, there were 256 597 such helpers in Hong Kong, an increase of 4.5 per cent over the 245 531 in 2007. About 49 per cent were from the Philippines and 48 per cent from Indonesia.