Author Archives: hksar gov

     A Pakistani illegal worker holding a recognisance form was jailed by Shatin Magistrates’ Courts yesterday (August 18).

     During an anti-illegal worker operation conducted on June 4, Immigration Department (ImmD) investigators raided a warehouse in Kwai Chung. A male Pakistani illegal worker, aged 29, was arrested while working as a warehouse worker. Upon identity checking, he produced for inspection a recognisance form issued by the ImmD, which prohibits him from taking employment. Further investigation revealed that he was a non-refoulement claimant. An employer suspected of employing the illegal worker was also arrested and the investigation is ongoing.

     The illegal worker was charged at Shatin Magistrates’ Courts on July 13 with taking employment after landing in Hong Kong unlawfully and remaining in Hong Kong without the authority of the Director of Immigration or while being a person in respect of whom a removal order or deportation order was in force. He pleaded guilty to the charge on July 13, and was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment yesterday.

     The ImmD spokesman warned that, as stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, illegal immigrants or people who are the subject of a removal order or a deportation order are prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment. The Court of Appeal has issued a guideline ruling that a sentence of 15 months’ imprisonment should be applied in such cases.

     The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. The maximum penalty is imprisonment for three years and a fine of $350,000. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence. According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee’s identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker’s valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. The maximum penalty for failing to inspect such a document is imprisonment for one year and a fine of $150,000.

     Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct an initial screening on vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers who are arrested during any operation, with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims. When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threats and coercion in the recruitment phase and the nature of exploitation. Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter, temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments. read more

     The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) held an online workshop today (August 19) to equip government staff, who are interested in the ”Leading Towards Robotics Technologies” Innovation Competition, with relevant technical knowledge and provide them with exchange opportunities with a view to inspiring them to turn innovative ideas into proposals.

     The workshop held today introduced artificial intelligence, chatbot and natural language processing technologies. Apart from inviting professionals from the industry to introduce the technologies and share experiences of real-life applications, the OGCIO also arranged participants to take part in online discussions and exchange sessions. Staff from the OGCIO also offered professional advice to help participants gain a better grasp of the technical details. All these were designed to help participants come up with ideas to inject robotic elements into public services and elaborate their ideas in the proposals, thereby facilitating the development of smart government. Three other workshops will be held later to introduce the application of robotics technologies in industrial and service robotics, intelligent process automation, as well as smart devices and data analytics. All four online workshops have proved popular, with a total registration of over 580 participants.

     Apart from the workshops, the OGCIO organised two webinars recently to inspire government staff to put forward ideas for practical application of robotics technologies through panel discussions. More than 330 colleagues from different government departments participated in the two webinars.

     The ”Leading Towards Robotics Technologies” Innovation Competition launched last month is the highlight of the Catch the Innovation Campaign. Government staff are invited to submit innovative proposals with the aim of improving public services through the adoption of robotics technologies. Ten shortlisted proposals will be matched by the Smart Government Innovation Lab with the industry for a six-month proof-of-concept exercise to test their feasibility by allowing participants to apply appropriate technologies and local research and design results. All 10 shortlisted proposals will undergo trials in relevant government departments with the aim of enhancing the quality and efficiency of public services, thus allowing the public to enjoy the advantages brought about by innovation and technology in the delivery of quality public services. The deadline for submissions is September 30. read more

     According to the latest labour force statistics (i.e. provisional figures for May – July 2020) released today (August 19) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased from 6.2% in April – June 2020 to 6.1% in May – July 2020. The underemployment rate also decreased from 3.7% in April – June 2020 to 3.5% in May – July 2020.
 
     Comparing May – July 2020 with April – June 2020, decreases in the unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) were mainly seen in the information and communication sector; professional and business services (excluding cleaning and similar activities) sector; and education sector. As to the underemployment rate, a decrease was mainly seen in the retail, accommodation and food services sector.
 
     Total employment increased by around 16 600 from 3 620 400 in April – June 2020 to 3 637 000 in May – July 2020. Over the same period, the labour force also increased by around 18 400 from 3 861 100 to 3 879 500.
 
     The number of unemployed persons (not seasonally adjusted) increased by around 1 800 from 240 700 in April – June 2020 to 242 500 in May – July 2020. Over the same period, the number of underemployed persons decreased by around 6 900 from 142 900 to 136 000.
            
Commentary
 
     Commenting on the latest unemployment figures, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Dr Law Chi-kwong said, “The labour market remained austere in May – July 2020, but showed some improvement over April – June as the local epidemic situation was largely under control in May and June. The launch of the Employment Support Scheme has also provided support. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged down by 0.1 percentage point from April – June to 6.1% in May – July 2020, ending the continuous increase for nine moving three-month periods. The underemployment rate also went down by 0.2 percentage point to 3.5%. Meanwhile, the year-on-year rates of decline in total employment and labour force narrowed to 5.7% and 2.4% respectively.
 
     “Analysed by sector, the unemployment rate of the consumption- and tourism-related sectors (viz. retail, accommodation and food services sectors) combined edged up to 10.8% in May – July 2020, the highest since the onslaught of SARS, but the underemployment rate eased further. Among these sectors, the unemployment rate for food and beverage service activities stayed near the post-SARS high, at 14.6%. The unemployment rate of the construction sector edged up to 11.3%, the highest since the aftermath of the global financial crisis. Meanwhile, the unemployment situation improved in some sectors, notably in information and communications, professional and business services (excluding cleaning and similar activities), and education.”
 
     Looking ahead, Dr Law said, “The labour market will remain under significant pressure in the near term. The recent surges in infected cases both worldwide and locally have further clouded Hong Kong’s economic outlook for the rest of the year. To preserve the vitality of the economy, the Government has rolled out relief measures of unprecedented scale, including a series of measures on job retention and job creation, which help keep workers in employment. The Government will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
 
     He noted that the Labour Department (LD) has organised the “Opening Up a New Terrain Online Job Fair” on August 18 and 19. A total of 34 organisations have participated in the job fair, offering over 1 200 vacancies from various industries which are available for online applications. The LD will organise other large-scale job fairs and recruitment activities to help job seekers and the unemployed when the local epidemic situation has stabilised.
 
     Meanwhile, the LD continues to receive and release information on vacancies from various industries for job-seekers with different educational background and working experience. Job-seekers may make use of the LD’s online platforms such as the Interactive Employment Service website for obtaining employment information.
 
Further information
 
     The unemployment and underemployment statistics were compiled from the findings of the continuous General Household Survey.
 
     The survey for May – July 2020 covered a sample of some 26 000 households or 74 000 persons, selected in accordance with a scientifically designed sampling scheme to represent the population of Hong Kong.
 
     Data on labour force characteristics were obtained from the survey by interviewing each member aged 15 or over in the sampled households.
 
     In the survey, the definitions used in measuring unemployment and underemployment follow closely those recommended by the International Labour Organization.
 
     Statistical tables on the latest labour force statistics can be downloaded free of charge at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp200.jsp?productCode=D5250021). More detailed analysis of the labour force characteristics is given in the “Quarterly Report on General Household Survey” which is published four times a year. The latest issue of the publication contains statistics for the quarter January – March 2020 while the next issue covering the quarter April – June 2020 will be available by end August 2020. Users can also download this publication free of charge at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp200.jsp?productCode=B1050001).
 
     For enquiries about labour force statistics, please contact the Household Statistics Analysis Section of the C&SD (Tel: 2887 5508 or email: ghs@censtatd.gov.hk). read more

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Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:

    　As the Landslip Warning has been cancelled, the Home Affairs Department’s Emergency Co-ordination Centre and the emergency hotline 2572 8427 have ceased to operate. read more

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Wednesday, August 19, 2020 is 105.4 (down 0.1 against yesterday’s index). read more