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Alert issued on suspicious calls

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Security Bureau today reminded the public to stay vigilant against suspicious calls purportedly made by Security Bureau staff, alleging that the citizen was suspected of breaking the law and required to visit the bureau office in person for verification.

 

The bureau solemnly clarified that this is untrue and condemned such deception tactics. The bureau has displayed an alert message on its official website to remind the public to stay vigilant against scams.

 

In addition to reminding people not to disclose their personal information to any suspicious or unidentified individuals, the bureau stressed that in case of doubt, they should call the Anti Scam Helpline 18222 for enquiries.

 

Those who have provided personal information to suspicious individuals or suspect they have been scammed should contact Police, the bureau added.

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Protection of local workers enhanced

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Labour Department today announced the implementation, with immediate effect, of measures under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) to safeguard employment priority for local workers.

After an employer submits an ESLS application, any other application submitted by the same employer within the following six months will generally not be processed except under exceptional circumstances, such as where the application is for renewal of an imported worker’s employment contract.

In cases where ESLS applications pass initial screening, triggering the start of a four-week local recruitment process, the department will display the names of applicant companies on the Interactive Employment Service website to encourage local job seekers to apply for the jobs.

The department will also launch a special campaign to inspect whether entities employing imported workers have continuously met the manning ratio requirement of full-time local employees to imported workers of two to one.

In parallel, it will require employers to report information on numbers of full-time local employees and imported workers, as well as manning ratios. Any suspected violations will be investigated and, if substantiated, administrative sanctions will be imposed on the employers concerned.

Meanwhile, the department has launched an online form on the supplementary labour scheme’s dedicated webpage to enable local employees to lodge complaints against employers over suspected violations of ESLS requirements. Members of the public may also lodge complaints by calling 2150 6363. 

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Government announces second batch of projects supported by RAISe+ Scheme

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Government announces second batch of projects supported by RAISe+ Scheme 
The projects supported by the Scheme cover a wide range of innovation and technology (I&T) fields, including health and medical sciences, new materials and new energy, AI and robotics, electrical and electronic engineering, advanced manufacturing, Chinese medicine, and computer science/information technology (see Annex). These projects showcase Hong Kong’s robust research and development (R&D) capability and the diverse development of its I&T ecosystem.
 
The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, welcomed the second batch of projects supported by the RAISe+ Scheme. He said, “The successful approval of the second batch of projects marks the Government’s continued commitment to promote commercialisation of local R&D outcomes through the RAISe+ Scheme. The Scheme fosters effective collaboration among the Government, industry, academia and research sectors, injecting new momentum into local innovation and technology development which in turn expedites the development of Hong Kong into an international I&T centre.”
 
The ITC will continue to work closely with the universities and industry for the smooth implementation of the projects supported by the RAISe+ Scheme, with the aspiration of nurturing more I&T projects and start-ups with potential through the Scheme, thereby further driving Hong Kong’s high-quality development.
 
With a funding allocation of $10 billion, the RAISe+ Scheme was launched in 2023 and aims to fund at least 100 research teams, which are from universities funded by the University Grants Committee and have good potential to become successful start-ups on a matching basis. Funding support from $10 million to $100 million will be provided to each approved project. Assessment criteria include the I&T component of the project, the commercial viability of project outcomes, the technical and management capability of the team, relevance of the project with government policies or in the project’s overall interest to the community, as well as the financial considerations of the project. The ITC announced the first batch of 24 projects supported by the RAISe+ Scheme in May 2024 with the total funding amounting to over $1 billion.
 
Details of the scheme are available on its dedicated website (www.itf.gov.hk/en/raiseplusIssued at HKT 17:00

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CSSA caseload for May 2025

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

CSSA caseload for May 2025
The total CSSA caseload at the end of May stood at 195 436 (see attached table), with a total of 261 668 recipients.

Analysed by case nature, low-earnings cases registered a month-to-month decrease of 0.9 per cent to 1 331 cases. Single parent cases dropped by 0.3 per cent to 18 882 cases. Permanent disability cases declined by 0.1 per cent to 16 597 cases.
    
Unemployment cases registered an increase of 0.4 per cent to 16 157 cases. Ill-health cases increased by 0.3 per cent to 27 775 cases. Old age cases remained steady at 110 773 cases.
Issued at HKT 17:00

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Unemployment and underemployment statistics for March – May 2025

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     According to the latest labour force statistics (i.e. provisional figures for March – May 2025) released today (June 17) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased from 3.4% in February – April 2025 to 3.5% in March – May 2025. The underemployment rate also increased from 1.3% in February – April 2025 to 1.4% in March – May 2025.
 
     Comparing March – May 2025 with February – April 2025, the unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) increased across most major economic sectors, with more distinct increases observed in the construction sector, retail sector and real estate sector.  As to the underemployment rate, increases were mainly seen in the construction sector and transportation sector.
 
     Total employment decreased by around 12 400 from 3 677 100 in February – April 2025 to 3 664 700 in March – May 2025.  Over the same period, the labour force also decreased by around 6 000 from 3 806 500 to 3 800 500.
 
     The number of unemployed persons (not seasonally adjusted) increased by around 6 400 from 129 400 in February – April 2025 to 135 800 in March – May 2025. Over the same period, the number of underemployed persons also increased by around 6 000 from 47 600 to 53 600.
  
Commentary
 
     Commenting on the latest unemployment figures, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, said, “Compared with the preceding three-month period, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate posted a modest uptick of 0.1 percentage point to 3.5% in March – May 2025. The underemployment rate also edged up by 0.1 percentage point to 1.4%. The labour force and total employment decreased further to 3 800 500 and 3 664 700 respectively.”
 
     Looking ahead, Mr Chris Sun said, “The pace of job creation will continue to be affected by the evolvement of different industries amidst the continuing uncertain external environment and the changing consumption patterns of locals and visitors.  Besides, the entry of fresh graduates and school leavers in the coming few months may further impact the overall employment situation. That said, we are delighted to see the steady expansion of the Hong Kong economy with real Gross Domestic Product in 2025 forecast to grow by 2% to 3%, and the injection of new impetus to the market by local and non-local operators as reflected by the numbers of registered local and foreign companies having reached new heights in recent months. These positive developments should render support to the labour market and sustain the momentum of Hong Kong’s economic development.”
 
Further information
 
     The unemployment and underemployment statistics were compiled from the findings of the continuous General Household Survey.
 
     In the survey, the definitions used in measuring unemployment and underemployment follow closely those recommended by the International Labour Organization. The employed population covers all employers, self-employed persons, employees (including full-time, part-time, casual workers, etc.) and unpaid family workers. Unemployed persons by industry (or occupation) are classified according to their previous industry (or occupation).
 
     The survey for March – May 2025 covered a sample of some 26 000 households or 68 000 persons, selected in accordance with a scientifically designed sampling scheme to represent the population of Hong Kong. Labour force statistics compiled from this sample represented the situation in the moving three-month period of March to May 2025.
 
     Data on labour force characteristics were obtained from the survey by interviewing each member aged 15 or over in the sampled households.
 
     Statistical tables on the latest labour force statistics can be downloaded at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/scode200.html). 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 report contains statistics for the quarter January – March 2025 while the next issue covering the quarter April – June 2025 will be available by end August 2025. Users can also browse and download this publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1050001&scode=200).
 
     For enquiries about labour force statistics, please contact the General Household Survey Section (3) of the C&SD (Tel: 2887 5508 or email: ghs@censtatd.gov.hk).

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CE: actions on app protect security

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

(To watch the full media session with sign language interpretation, click here.)

Chief Executive John Lee said today that actions taken by the Secretary for Security and the Police Force in relation to a mobile application were necessary to safeguard national security.

In remarks ahead of this morning’s Executive Council meeting, he emphasised that the Government will always take strict enforcement action in accordance with the law with regard to all activities and acts endangering national security.

“According to the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), all citizens have the obligation to uphold national security. So Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region of the PRC, the residents of Hong Kong have that constitutional obligation.

“The mobile application in question was released under the guise of a game with the aim of promoting secessionist agendas of ‘Taiwan independence’ and ‘Hong Kong independence’. This endangers national security.

“The Secretary for Security and the Hong Kong Police have taken action in accordance with the Implementation Rules for Article 43 of the Hong Kong National Security Law, carrying out their responsibilities and duties to safeguard national security – they are doing the right thing.”

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Enhancement measures implemented to safeguard employment priority for local workers under Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Enhancement measures implemented to safeguard employment priority for local workers under Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme      
(i) To ensure that employers will not displace local employees with imported workers, the LD launched an online complaint form on the ESLS dedicated webpage (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/plan/iwESLS.htm          
(ii) For applications of ESLS which thereafter pass the initial screening and will commence the four-week local recruitment process, the LD will display the names of applicant companies when publishing the job vacancies on the Interactive Employment Service website to encourage job seekers to apply for the jobs. 
          
(iii) After an employer has submitted an ESLS application, other application(s) submitted by the same employer within the following six months will generally not be processed (except under exceptional circumstances, such as applications for renewal of imported workers’ employment contracts). 
          
(iv) The LD will launch a special inspection campaign to check whether establishments employing imported workers have continuously met the manning ratio requirement of full-time local employees to imported workers of 2:1. In parallel, the LD will, adopting a risk-based approach, require employers to report information on full-time local employees and imported workers as well as the relevant manning ratios. The LD will investigate any suspected violations. If substantiated, the LD will impose administrative sanctions on the employers. 

     A Government spokesman reiterated that the priority of the Government’s manpower policy all along is to nurture the local workforce. On the premise of ensuring employment priority for local workers, the Government suitably allows employers to apply for importation of workers.      
     The ESLS also requires employers not to displace local workers with imported workers. In the event of redundancy, imported workers should be retrenched first. If there is sufficient evidence to substantiate any violation of the requirement, the LD will impose administrative sanctions on the employers, including withdrawal of approvals for importation of labour previously granted and refusal to process other applications submitted by the employers in the following two years.
      
     The LD will continue to closely monitor the local labour market, and from time to time review the operation and implementation arrangements of the ESLS, with a view to safeguarding employment priority for local workers. 
Issued at HKT 14:00

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Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu Attend the Dragon Boat Festival and Birthday Celebration Hosted by the ROC Veterans Association in Sydney

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu was pleased to attend the Dragon Boat Festival and Birthday Celebration hosted by the ROC Veterans Association in Sydney. The event brought together Willoughby Councillor Michelle Chuang and leaders from the Taiwanese community to share in the joyful occasion.
The celebration opened with a solemn Flag Entrance Ceremony, featuring the national flags of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Australia, along with the Association’s flag. Led by Chairman Samuel Yu, the ceremony honoured the veterans’ unwavering spirit and loyalty to their country.
In his remarks, DG Wu conveyed President Lai Ching-te’s warm greetings and shared two key messages:
*Safeguard national sovereignty and liberal democracy
*Stand united in the face of authoritarian expansionism
President Lai affirmed that overseas Taiwanese are vital bridges for Taiwan’s diplomacy, trade, and economy, and expressed confidence that their unity will continue to shape a strong and resilient future for Taiwan.

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Ambassador Douglas Yu-Tien Hsu and Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu Attend ATBC Australia–Taiwan Young Business Leaders (YBL) Program Successful Candidates Announcement Ceremony

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

Taiwan in Australia Ambassador Douglas Yu-Tien Hsu and Taiwan in Sydney Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu were pleased to attend the announcement ceremony for the successful candidates of the Australia–Taiwan Young Business Leaders (YBL) Program, hosted by the Australia-Taiwan Business Council (ATBC) and the Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA), with the Australian Office in Taipei joining virtually.
Ambassador Hsu noted that the YBL Program, supported by the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations, reflects the shared commitment of Taiwan and Australia to deepening economic cooperation, fostering talent, and pursuing a sustainable and innovative future. He thanked ATBC CEO Ching-Mei Maddock for uniting key partners and encouraged participants to lead boldly and collaborate openly in shaping a resilient, inclusive future。
Robert Fergusson, Representative of the Australian Office in Taipei, highlighted that while Taiwan and Australia maintain strong cooperation in traditional sectors such as energy, natural resources, and agriculture, the program showcases growing potential in forward-looking fields including renewable energy, biotech, semiconductors, and AI.
ATBC Chairman John Toigo emphasized that this initiative builds on the success of the 2022 pilot “Australia-Taiwan Emerging Business Leaders Program “, and reminded young leaders that sincere trust remains the foundation of lasting business relationships.
CIECA Secretary-General Frank Wu encouraged the selected youth leaders to leverage this platform to broaden their global outlook, deepen cross-border partnerships, and become new drivers of Taiwan–Australia cooperation and regional sustainability.
Sincere appreciation to ATBC and CIECA for leading this important initiative. May the program empower every participant to forge meaningful partnerships and drive new momentum in Australia–Taiwan collaboration.