The Government is fully committed to tackling the problem of youth joblessness, the Permanent Secretary for Economic Development & Labour said on a radio programme this morning.

Speaking on the Radio Television Hong Kong programme, "Letter from Hong Kong", today, Matthew Cheung the Government has invested $600 million this year in creating short-term jobs and implementing the Youth Pre-employment Training Programme and Youth Work Experience Training Scheme, providing over 31,000 training and employment opportunities.

This vividly demonstrated that the Government was fully committed to tackling the problem of youth unemployment.

"We need high quality and versatile human resources to keep pace with the economic restructuring. Young people should keep enhancing their skills if they are looking for sustainable development opportunities. These are exactly the concepts of YPTP and YWETS," Mr Cheung said.

"As Hong Kong's economic restructuring continues, elementary jobs will be shrinking in number and becoming more short-term and fragmented. The skills required on the other hand will be more demanding. Against this background, YPTP is on the right path," he said.

Training programme stepped up after SARS outbreak

Mr Cheung noted that the SARS outbreak in March severely hit the employment market. "To ease the youth unemployment problem, we have increased the training capacity of YPTP substantially from 12,000 to 18,000 this year and created over 8,300 short-term posts. These jobs, with monthly salaries of $4,000 and lasting for six months, cover various sectors in environmental hygiene, tourism, cultural activities, the arts, community care and nature appreciation," he said.

Mr Cheung pointed out that recent developments in Hong Kong - such as the individual visits scheme that allows Mainland visitors from selected cities to visit on their own rather than in tour groups, the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement with the Mainland, China having successfully completed its first manned space launch - had brought about new hope and encouragement.

The unemployment rate has declined recently from a record high of 8.7% to 8.3%, which means that the number of unemployed people has decreased by 12,000. At the same time, the number of underemployed people has also dropped by 14,000.

However, Mr Cheung cautioned that although sentiment had improved, Hong Kong's unemployment problem stemmed from the restructuring of the economy so we still face a long-term challenge.

Youth joblessness more serious than overall unemployment

According to the latest figures, the unemployment rate among youths aged 15 to 19 stood at 36.1%, with 26,000 young people out of work. "This has given rise to considerable concern," he said.

"Similar to other developed regions, Hong Kong's youth unemployment problem is more serious when compared to the overall unemployment situation. Youth unemployment is a complex issue. Economic development, the changing needs in skills, the effectiveness of the education system, the upbringing of the youths and support from families and friends all have a significant bearing on youth employment," he said.

"We need to work together to tackle the problem. The Government, the community, the family and young people themselves all have a key role to play."

Mr Cheung recalled that when he was the Commissioner for Labour in 1999, the YPTP was launched to provide school leavers aged 15 to 19 with pre-employment training to enhance their employability. Training on job search, interpersonal and job-specific skills (such as hairdressing and web design) are included.

"This is a major effort to nurture our young people, and we have mobilised the community in the process," he said.

Youth Pre-employment scheme trains more than 45,000

In the past four years, more than 45,000 young people have been trained under the YPTP and the successful placement rate is about 70%. The programme has opened up a new direction in youth employment training. It also won the recognition of the International Labour Organisation.

Following the concept of the YPTP, the Labour Department launched the YWETS in July last year to further help youngsters transit smoothly from schooling to work. The YWETS extends pre-employment training to on-the-job training for young people aged 24 or below. Under the YWETS, employers engage youngsters as trainees. Registered social workers will provide career counselling and support services for trainees.

"The YWETS has so far helped 15,000 young people secure jobs although it has only been in existence for 15 months. In short, these two projects provide one-stop training and employment service for youngsters," Mr Cheung said.

"The door to the YPTP is always open. We warmly welcome all youngsters and will not turn anyone away. I do hope they will make the best use of the opportunity to equip themselves."