On the job: The Social Welfare Department will boost self-reliance measures for unemployed CSSA recipients to help them rejoin the workforce.

There is an urgent need to step up self-reliance measures for Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients to counter the significant rise in unemployed CSSA cases, Director of Social Welfare Carrie Lam says.

In January, the unemployed CSSA caseload reached  40,974, an 37.6% increase over the same period last year. It also represents 15.3% of the total CSSA caseload of 267,609.

The Support for Self-reliance Scheme, introduced in 1999 to help unemployed recipients assist themselves, will be intensified to tackle the rising number of jobless cases, Mrs Lam said.

With a proposed $100-million Lotteries Fund, the Social Welfare Department will commission non-governmental organisations to run more intensive employment-assistance projects to help CSSA recipients find work.

Mrs Lam said the Department will strengthen the Active Employment Assistance programme. This will provide employable CSSA recipients with more targeted assistance, including direct job matching.

Community-work requirements targeting the needs of different types of CSSA recipients will be enhanced. This would help them develop better work habits, and to contribute to society while on CSSA.

The Department will raise the maximum level of disregarded earnings under the scheme for those who have been on CSSA for three months or more, to $2,500 from $1,805  a month. The 'no deduction limit' within the disregarded earnings will rise to $600 from $451.