ENG-2020 — Page 147

The

Chapter 7

Employment

government promotes employment, maintains harmonious labour relations, safeguards the labour rights of employees and enhances safety and health at work.

Employment is the key to people's livelihood. The government improves the use of human resources in Hong Kong and supports economic development by upgrading workers' skills so they can be more employable and competitive, improving the business environment, introducing measures to create jobs and enhancing labour market efficiency.

The Labour and Welfare Bureau maps out strategies to develop a well-trained and adaptable workforce to meet the changing manpower demands of the economy and contribute to the overall competitiveness of Hong Kong.

The Labour Department formulates and implements labour policies, enforces labour legislation, provides free employment and recruitment services to job-seekers and employers, promotes harmonious labour relations, safeguards employees' rights and benefits, and promotes occupational safety and health of the workforce.

Labour legislation, supplemented by administrative measures, provides the statutory basis for employers' and employees' obligations and rights, and enables the city to meet internationally accepted labour standards. In 2020, the department secured 4,200 convictions, resulting in fines totalling more than $22.75 million.

On 11 December, amendments to the Employment Ordinance took effect to increase statutory maternity leave from 10 weeks to 14 weeks. Employers may apply to the government for full reimbursement of the additional maternity leave pay, subject to a cap of $80,000 per employee.

Labour Market

In 2020, the labour force totalled 3.89 million people, of whom 50 per cent were men and 50 per cent were women. The total represented a drop of 2 per cent over 2019.

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