Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, at the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC) Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme Webinar today (January 14):
Peter (Chairman of the HKGCC, Mr Peter Wong), George (Chief Executive Officer of the HKGCC, Mr George Leung), members of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon. It is my great pleasure to join you all at this webinar to talk about the Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme, which may also be called “GBA YES”. Let me first express my sincere gratitude to the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, under the capable leadership of Peter, for pulling together this meaningful and timely webinar, and, more importantly, for the invaluable support that the Chamber has lent the Scheme. I noticed that on the day we launched the Scheme, that is last Friday, January 8, the Chamber issued a press statement to pledge your unwavering support, and, more importantly, the Chamber has immediately lined up a long list of your members to provide some 300 positions for the Scheme. Your member enterprises have set a truly remarkable example in the business sector to provide golden career opportunities for our fresh university graduates. I would like to express my deep gratitude for your gracious support.
With the severe blow to Hong Kong’s economy by the COVID-19 pandemic, the GBA undoubtedly provides a key direction for reviving Hong Kong's economy after the epidemic. The GBA, with a population exceeding 70 million, provides new impetus to our economy and creates ample development opportunities for our young people. With support of the Central People’s Government, governments of the Guangdong Province and the municipalities in the GBA, the Hong Kong SAR Government has introduced a series of policy initiatives to encourage Hong Kong residents, especially our young people, to study, work and pursue their career in the GBA Mainland cities.
To further leverage such development momentum, the Hong Kong SAR Government has for the first time launched this youth employment scheme. Through encouraging the enterprises to provide employment opportunities and station the graduates to work in GBA Mainland cities, we want to help our fresh graduates to set clear career goals, understand the GBA more deeply and seize the unique opportunities of GBA development. The Governments of Guangdong Province and Shenzhen Municipality have expressed strong support for the Scheme.
The Scheme provides 2 000 places, with some 700 places designated for innovation and technology posts. The Government will provide participating enterprises with a monthly allowance of HK$10,000 for each qualified graduate employed for up to 18 months. We hope that, with the concerted efforts made by the Hong Kong SAR Government and the business sector, the Scheme would be most successful in helping our university graduates not only to acquire valuable knowledge and establish interpersonal networks to support their career development, but also experience the remarkable progress of the region, which in turn contributes to the continuous prosperity and development for Hong Kong and other partners in the GBA.
Once again, my heartfelt thanks for your support and active participation. This is a singularly important pioneer scheme that enables our youth to receive on-the-job training and gain valuable experience and exposure in the GBA. This is extraordinarily significant in nurturing our young talents, and I strongly encourage members of this Chamber to offer more positions to make this a greater success. Together, surely we will be able to help our youth grow and find a suitable career or even a lifelong career for themselves.
Our colleagues from the Labour Department, Charles (Assistant Commissioner for Labour (Employment Services), Mr Charles Hui) and CK (Senior Labour Officer (Employment Information and Promotion), Mr Yeung Chi-kit); and also from the Innovation and Technology Bureau (ITB), Sandy (Principal Assistant Secretary for Innovation & Technology, Ms Sandy Cheung) and Loretta (Chief Executive Officer (Fund for Better Living) of the ITB, Ms Loretta Wong), will be happy to clarify about any questions. Charles will do a presentation first. Thank you.
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