The Labour Department is providing a retention allowance on a pilot basis to people aged over 60, youngsters and the disabled who have participated in employment programmes.

The department said the new measures aim to enhance the Employment Programme for the Elderly & Middle-aged (EPEM), Youth Employment & Training Programme (YETP) and Work Orientation & Placement Scheme (WOPS) to strengthen support for these groups, thereby stabilising employment.

The pilot scheme will run for three years during which these employees will be offered a retention allowance of $3,000 if they have stayed in full-time posts for three months.

After that, they will receive an additional $1,000 allowance for completion of each subsequent month until the end of the six to 12-month on-the-job training period. For part-time posts, the amounts payable will be halved.

Subject to the length of the on-the-job training period, the maximum amount of the retention allowance an eligible employee may receive is $12,000.

The ceiling of the on-the-job training allowance payable to employers for engaging a job seeker under the three employment programmes has also been increased to further encourage them to hire elderly and middle-aged people, young people and the disabled.

The maximum amount of on-the-job training allowance payable to employers engaging job seekers who are unemployed or have left the workforce and providing them with on-the-job training under the EPEM has increased from $4,000 to $5,000 per month for a period of six to 12 months.

The maximum amount of the allowance for engaging unemployed job seekers aged 40 to 59 under the programme has increased from $3,000 to $4,000 per month for a period of three to six months.

As for the YETP, the maximum amount of on-the-job training allowance payable to employers has increased from $4,000 to $5,000 per month for a period of six to 12 months.

Regarding the WOPS, the maximum amount of on-the-job training allowance payable to employers has been raised from $7,000 to $8,000 per month during the three-month work adaptation period and from $5,000 to $6,000 per month for the following six months.

For enquiries, call the EPEM's hotline at 2150 6398, the YETP's hotline at 2112 9932 and the Selective Placement Division at 2852 4801.