ENG-2010 — Page 167

Chapter 6

Employment

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Hong Kong's workforce is intelligent, adaptable and hardworking qualities the Government helps maintain by facilitating employment, safeguarding workers' rights and benefits, ensuring workplaces are safe and healthy, and promoting harmonious employer-employee relationships.

Hong Kong's hard working, adaptable workforce is one of its most treasured assets. The Government spares no effort in ensuring that Hong Kong workers stay motivated and skilful to contribute to the city's economic competitiveness. Notwithstanding the improved labour market in 2010, there are, however, many challenges ahead. The Government adopts a multi-pronged strategy to meet these challenges. This includes upgrading workers' skills to make them more employable and competitive, improving the business environment, introducing measures to create jobs and enhancing labour market efficiency.

During the year, the Employees Retraining Board offered over 120 000 training places to help in-service workers to upgrade their skills, and those seeking job change and the unemployed to re-enter the labour market. The Government also continued to offer special help to the less competitive workers.

The Labour Department has introduced a series of market-oriented employment initiatives for job seekers. These include the Employment Programme for the Middle- aged, the Work Trial Scheme, the Pilot Employment Navigator Programme, the Youth Pre-employment Training Programme and Youth Work Experience and Training Scheme, the Youth Employment Start, and the Work Orientation and Placement Scheme for job seekers with disabilities. Job fairs are also organised to help job seekers to enter or re-enter the job market.

The Government promotes harmonious employer-employee relations, protects the rights and improves the benefits of employees in line with Hong Kong's socio- economic development, as well as guards the safety, and protects the health of employees at work.

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