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HK government committed to tackling youth unemployment
( 2003-10-25 15:18) (Xinhua)

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has invested HK$600 million (US$76.9 million) this year in dealing with the issue of youth unemployment, a senior official said Saturday.

The money has been used in creating short-term jobs and implementing the Youth Pre-employment Training Program (YPTP) and Youth Work Experience Training Scheme, which have provided over 31,000 training and employment opportunities, said Permanent Secretary for Economic Development and Labor Matthew Cheung Kin-chung.

This demonstrates that the government is fully committed to tackling the problem of youth unemployment, he said.

As Hong Kong's economic restructuring continues, elementary jobs will be shrinking in number and becoming more short-term and fragmented, he said, adding that the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in March this year severely hit the employment market.

To ease the youth unemployment problem, the government has increased the training capacity of YPTP from 12,000 to 18,000 this year and created over 8,300 short-term posts. These jobs, with monthly salaries of HK$4,000 (US$512.8) and lasting for six months, cover various sectors in environmental hygiene, tourism, cultural activities, the arts, community care and nature appreciation.

According to the latest figures, the unemployment rate among youths aged 15 to 19 stood at 36.1 percent.

"We need to work together to tackle the problem. The government, the community, the family and young people themselves all have a key role to play," Cheung said.

 
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