(To watch the 2020-21 Budget speech with sign language interpretation, click here.)

Financial Secretary Paul Chan today announced measures to support employees in view of the deteriorating employment situation, including an additional annual funding of $30 million to enhance Labour Department employment programmes.

The measures, which are expected to be implemented in the second half of this year, include raising the ceiling of the on-the-job training allowance.

Mr Chan also suggested to provide $2.5 billion of additional expenditure to the Employees Retraining Board to enhance the Love Upgrading Special Scheme. Through legislative amendment, the board will raise the maximum monthly allowance of trainees to $5,800.

In addition, the Construction Industry Council will allocate $200 million to provide training allowances for underemployed workers as well as subsidies for small and medium-sized contractors and registered subcontractors. The subsidies will be capped at $20,000 each.

In terms of nurturing talent, the Government will expand the Researcher Programme and Postdoctoral Hub to cover all technology companies conducting research and development activities in Hong Kong, as well as set aside $40 million to subsidise short-term internships for undergraduates and postgraduates taking science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programmes in local universities.

The Government and public organisations will also increase short-term internship places in 2020-21 to almost 5,000 to facilitate students’ planning ahead for their future development.