LCQ20: Job Creation Scheme
10.5.2023

Following is a question by the Hon Chan Pui-leung and a written reply by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, in the Legislative Council today (May 10): Question: To relieve the unemployment situation due to the epidemic and the anti-epidemic measures, the Government has successively implemented three rounds of Job Creation Scheme (JCS) to create a large number of time-limited jobs in the public and private sectors. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (1) of the following information on the time-limited jobs created in the Government under each round of JCS: the number of jobs, number of persons employed, job durations, main job contents and amount of expenditure involved, and set out the relevant information in a table by government department; (2) of the following information on the time-limited jobs created in the subsidised non-governmental sector under each round of JCS: the number of jobs, number of persons employed, job durations, main job contents and amount of subsidies involved, and set out the relevant information in a table by sector; (3) of the following information on the time-limited jobs created for graduates and young people under each round of JCS (set out in a table): the number of jobs, number of persons employed, job durations, main job contents and amount of expenditure involved; (4) of the total expenditure of JCS so far and the current balance, as well as the percentage of administrative expenses in the total expenditure; and (5) whether it has reviewed and assessed the effectiveness of JCS; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that? Reply: President, To relieve the unemployment situation caused by the epidemic and anti-epidemic measures, the Government has earmarked $19.8 billion under the Anti-epidemic Fund to implement three rounds of Job Creation Scheme (JCS) to create around 90 000 time-limited jobs in the public and private sectors. In addition to bearing the salary of the jobs created in various government departments, the Government subsidises part of the cost of the jobs created in the non-governmental sector. The reply to respective parts of the question is as follows: (1) Jobs created in the Government are mainly Non-Civil Service Contract positions, manpower requirements under government service contracts (for example, agency workers or outsourcing workers) and consultancy contracts, etc. The jobs created cover different work categories, such as cleansing and supporting, quarantine and anti-epidemic work, technical staff and professionals, as well as providing administrative and clerical support. Among the 47 700 jobs created in the Government under the three rounds of the JCS, around 42 700 jobs have been filled, with employment period normally lasts not more than 12 months. The total estimated expenditure for the jobs created in the Government is around $12.9 billion. The breakdown of the number by departments is set out at Annex I. (2) As for the jobs created in the non-governmental sector, the recruitment is launched by individual public organisations (such as the Hong Kong Productivity Council, the Urban Renewal Authority and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council), while some are created under the subsidy schemes administered by organisations of relevant sectors acting as the agents. The jobs cover various fields such as finance, elderly service and rehabilitation, innovation and technology, culture and arts, property management, convention and exhibition, environmental protection, and engineering. So far, 42 300 jobs have been created in the non-governmental sector under the three rounds of the JCS, of which around 35 800 jobs have been filled. The jobs normally last not more than 12 months. The total estimated expenditure for the jobs created in the non-governmental sector is around $6.1 billion. Details of individual subsidy schemes are set out at Annex II. (3) In view of the employment difficulty during the epidemic faced by young people who lack work experience, there are more than 23 000 jobs of various fields created specifically for fresh graduates or especially suitable for young people to apply under the three rounds of the JCS. Around 18 500 of these jobs have been filled. The jobs include the "JC PROcruit C" Programme jointly implemented by the Civil Service Bureau and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to subsidise the employers of four sectors (namely community healthcare, technology for good, corporate community engagement and creative arts for social innovation) to employ young job seekers. In addition to providing the youngsters with job opportunities under the programme, pre-onboarding training is organised to facilitate them to carve out their professional pathway. Besides, the Development Bureau rolled out subsidy scheme to subsidise companies to offer short-term jobs and employ graduates in the fields of engineering, architecture, surveying, town planning and landscape architecture. As for the subsidy scheme rolled out by the Environment and Ecology Bureau, it subsidises enterprises to employ graduates from environmental-related disciplines. The number of jobs created specifically for fresh graduates or young people under the three rounds of the JCS is set out at Annex III. The estimated expenditure for the jobs concerned is around $4.3 billion. (4) The total estimated expenditure of the 90 000 jobs created is around $19 billion. With the payment made by months or instalments, the expenditure already incurred is around $10.1 billion. Around 95 per cent of the estimated expenditure is for salary and related expenses (such as Mandatory Provident Fund contributions, end-of-contract gratuity), while the remaining is for subsidising the miscellaneous expenses arising from the creation of jobs (such as training, recruitment and procurement of equipment) and paying the administration fee to those non-governmental organisations serving as agents to administer the subsidy schemes. (5) The JCS aims to create a large number of time-limited jobs within a short period of time during the pandemic so as to relieve the employment problem due to the epidemic and the anti-epidemic measures. Launched in April 2020, the JCS has created around 90 000 jobs in three years, benefiting people of different skill sets and academic qualifications. To alleviate the employment problem of grassroots workers, about half of the jobs created under the three rounds of the JCS are of relatively junior positions, such as cleansing and supporting staff. The JCS also focused on the need of people from industries which have been particularly affected by the epidemic and have encountered underemployment or even unemployment situation. For example, there were jobs employing practitioners in the travel industry to assist in the operation and administrative work at community vaccination centres, and jobs employing sports coaches as well as practitioners in the travel, retail and exhibition industries to provide housekeeping and front desk support services for the community isolation facilities, etc. As for those graduates and young people who have been employed under the JCS, in addition to acquiring pre-onboarding or on-the-job training, the work experience earned also facilitates them to plan and develop their career. The JCS also helps employers identify the needed talents. Employers may retain the employees after the subsidy period taking into consideration their operational and business needs. All in all, the JCS has achieved its desired effect during the pandemic.