The Government today invited enterprises to join the Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme to offer jobs for young people to help them pursue careers in the Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Announcing the scheme’s launch, the Government said it is one of the measures announced by the Chief Executive in the 2020 Policy Address to encourage and support youngsters to work in bay area cities to help them understand the latest developments of Hong Kong and these cities and leverage the opportunities in the bay area.

As pointed out by the Chief Executive in the Policy Address, taking into account Hong Kong's economy and market scale, the youth unemployment rate may remain at double digits for some time.

With a population exceeding 70 million, the bay area has huge development potential and offers many career development opportunities for the young people of Hong Kong.

Noting that the governments of Guangdong and Shenzhen have expressed strong support for the scheme, the Government said young people should broaden their horizons to the motherland and seize the opportunities to study, work and live there.

Enterprises with operations in Hong Kong and Mainland cities in the bay area are welcome to join the scheme to offer jobs. Participating enterprises should employ eligible graduates locally under Hong Kong laws, and station them in bay area cities to work and receive on-the-job training.

The scheme provides 2,000 places, around 700 of which are designated for innovation and technology posts. The Government will grant a monthly allowance of $10,000 to enterprises for each graduate employed for up to 18 months.

To join the scheme, graduates should be Hong Kong residents lawfully employable in the city and hold bachelor's degrees or above awarded locally or by institutions outside Hong Kong from 2019 to 2021.

The graduates employed under the scheme will receive a monthly salary of no less than $18,000. They should work in Hong Kong and the Mainland cities of the bay area, with each location taking up six to 12 months.  

For I&T posts, graduates should also possess degrees related to science, technology, engineering or mathematics.

A secretariat set up by the Labour Department and the Innovation & Technology Bureau will handle applications from enterprises and the disbursement of the allowance.

Job vacancies will be uploaded on the scheme’s website after they are processed and vetted by the department and the bureau.