The Labour Department today launched new measures to encourage employers to hire the elderly, young people and the disabled.

To promote the employment of the elderly, the Employment Programme for the Middle-aged has been renamed the Employment Programme for the Elderly & Middle-aged.

Under the programme, employers who engage elderly job seekers aged 60 or above and provide on-the-job training may apply for an allowance of up to $4,000 per month per employee for a period of six to 12 months.

The maximum amount of on-the-job training allowance for those who engage job seekers aged 40 to 59 will remain at $3,000 per month per employee for a period of three to six months.

The Youth Employment & Training Programme has been expanded to part-time on-the-job training posts.

To encourage employers to hire young people, the ceiling of the on-the-job training allowance payable to employers has also been raised from $3,000 to $4,000 per month per trainee for a period of six to 12 months.

To further encourage employers to hire people with disabilities who have employment difficulties, the Work Orientation & Placement Scheme has been enhanced with the work adaptation period extended from two months to three months.

The maximum monthly allowance has been raised from $5,500 to $7,000 during the three-month work adaptation period and from $4,000 to $5,000 for the ensuing six months.

The maximum period of the allowance payable is extended from eight to nine months, with the maximum allowance payable to employers increased by $16,000 to a total of $51,000 for each hired person with disabilities who has employment difficulties.

The cash award for the mentor will also be increased by $500 to a total of $1,500 if the mentor assists the employee with disabilities to stay on the job after the three-month work adaptation period.