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1. Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. The Committee notes the detailed information provided by the Government in its report in response to the 2006 direct request. The Committee notes that total employment increased by 2.5 per cent with a total of 3.46 million persons at the end of 2006. The unemployment rate has been progressively decreasing in the last five years and for the first quarter of 2007, unemployment was at 4.3 percent, which is the lowest level in the last eight years. The underemployment rate stood at 2.2 per cent, which implies another moderate decline from previous years. The Committee notes that the Government will continue to assign budget allocations for infrastructure projects over the next few years creating 37,000 job opportunities in the construction sector which has been the sector most drastically affected by unemployment. The Committee requests the Government to continue to supply information on the active employment policies pursued, and results thereof, to ensure the achievements of the aims of the Convention.

2. Measures to meet needs of particular categories of workers. The Committee notes the different measures to improve employability, self discipline and motivation to work of special categories of persons, including young workers aged between 15 and 24. The Government reports that the Social Welfare Department continues to implement the Support for Self-reliance Scheme to assist unemployed persons, including work-focused and sector-specific training, counselling services, job attachment, job matching as well as a one-off return-to-work incentive to help unemployed persons secure and sustain employment. Among the initiatives taken by the national authorities to promote the employability of people with disabilities, the Committee notes that, in October 2005, the Social Welfare Department along with non-governmental organizations launched the Sunnyway Programme to enhance employability of young people aged between 15 and 24 with disabilities or early signs of mental illness. The Government also informs on a small enterprise project by which assistance is provided to non-governmental organizations to create and run small businesses in order to employ people with disabilities. The Committee further notes the initiative to help single parents and childcarers to enhance their capacity for self-help, integrate them into society and achieve self-help through engagement in work. The Committee asks the Government to continue to report on the measures taken to encourage employers to create or offer job opportunities for people with disabilities and to increase employment prospects of young workers. Recalling the Committee’s previous comments, the Committee notes that some atypical forms of employment provides outcomes on workers’ employment opportunities and accommodate preferences and needs of special categories of workers, such as women, young people, people with disabilities and older workers. It asks the Government to continue to inform on the measures taken to ensure that atypical forms of employment do not increase the risk of employment insecurity or limit the possibilities of workers’ professional development. Please also provide in the next report relevant statistics on the employment situation of special categories of workers, including their participation in full- and part-time employment, disaggregated by age and sex, and other data on the situation, level and terms of employment.

3. Vocational training. The Committee notes the efforts of the Vocational Training Council, the Clothing Industry Authority and the Hong Kong Productivity Council to provide training programmes to upgrade knowledge and skills in different business sectors. The Committee asks the Government to continue to report on its vocational training activities, including lifelong learning activities and continuous training, in particular regarding young and older workers, women workers and low-skilled workers.

4. Article 3. Consultation of the social partners. The Committee notes that the Employment Retraining Board (ERB), comprising representatives of employers and workers as well as the Government and other individuals related to vocational training adjusts its strategies and adopts different approaches to meet the employment opportunities of the changing labour market. The Government also indicates that, as a result, a number of traditional occupations have become modernized and professionalized, which has therefore stimulated market demand for services relating to these occupations. The Committee also notes how the ERB has set up over ten Trade Advisory Committees to improve the content of its courses and ensure that training can meet the needs of both employers and trainees. Please continue to inform on the consultations with employers’ and workers’ representatives to improve existing initiatives and execute ones which can respond to swift market changes while enabling workers to develop their fullest potential.