Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

For the three months from February to April, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.4%, a rise of 0.2 percentage points compared to the figures for January to March, the Census & Statistics Department announced today.

The underemployment rate also rose from 1.1% to 1.3% during the same period.

Total employment fell by around 15,600 to 3,677,100, while the labour force also dropped by around 9,000 to 3,806,500.

The number of unemployed people increased by around 6,600 to 129,400. Meanwhile, the number of underemployed people rose by around 4,900 to 47,600.

Looking ahead, Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun said that various industries in Hong Kong are undergoing a transitional period, adding that their unemployment rates may go upward or downward.

However, he outlined that the recent easing of trade tensions, continued growth in the economy and the Government’s various measures to boost momentum will provide support to the labour market.

Mr Sun said that although Hong Kong has experienced some recent shop closures, there have also been openings of many new shops, suggesting the emergence of new demand and new consumption trends. He also stressed that a significant increase in the number of inbound visitors will bring more opportunities to the labour market.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho yesterday began her trip to Paris, France, by visiting a social housing project, a zero carbon district and a construction innovation centre.

At the social housing project which is undergoing renovation and will be upgraded into an energy saving and environmentally friendly building, Ms Ho learnt about how Paris minimises the impact of the works on the residents while they remain in place during the renovation.

During the visit, she shared the Housing Authority’s (HA) experience in redeveloping aged public housing estates, including conducting detailed studies and listening carefully to stakeholders’ views through diversified means to forge a consensus and formulate the most suitable and cost-effective redevelopment plans.

Furthermore, to enhance the sense of well-being of the residents, the Housing Bureau (HB) and the HA launched a resident-oriented “Well-being design” guide last year.

The guide serves as a reference for the future design of new public housing estates and the improvement works of existing estates to create a more comfortable and inclusive estate environment.

In the afternoon, Ms Ho visited Îlot Fertile, a zero carbon district in Paris which is a composite development project with abundant green space, integrating social housing, offices, commercial, retail, hostels and more.

Renewable energy systems and innovative construction technologies are adopted during the construction to implement low-carbon building initiatives and enhance energy efficiency in buildings.

The housing chief pointed out that air ventilation assessments and microclimate studies are carried out for the HA’s new public housing developments to enhance environmental performance in aspects such as wind environment, natural ventilation and natural light exposure in buildings.

The HB and the HA have also been actively promoting the application of innovative construction technologies such as Modular Integrated Construction, Multi-trade Integrated Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing and construction robotics.

These help to enhance construction quality and efficiency, shorten construction time and greatly reduce material waste, making the construction more environment friendly.

She said Hong Kong and Paris share the same vision in promoting energy saving and green buildings, and hoped to strengthen relevant co-operation between the two cities.

Ms Ho then visited the Construction Innovation Centre at the Bouygues Construction headquarters and met Bouygues Construction Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pascal Minault and Deputy CEO Pierre-Éric Saint-André to exchange ideas on the latest smart building technologies, green building and sustainable urban development.

She noted that Bouygues Construction and Dragages Hong Kong, headed by the group, have established a presence in Hong Kong for many years and contributed in various infrastructure, government buildings and public housing projects, and that she looked forward to continued collaboration in driving the industry to usher in a new era of smart construction.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau will depart tomorrow for Chongqing, where he will attend the 7th Western China International Fair for Investment & Trade and seek to strengthen Hong Kong’s economic and trade exchanges with the Mainland city.

Mr Yau will return to Hong Kong on May 23. During his absence, Under Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Bernard Chan will be Acting Secretary.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Transport Department today announced a citywide gradual renewal of electronic audible traffic signals (eATS) at signalised crossings, with new features being incorporated that provide convenience for the visually impaired and other people.

The original units indicate the status of pedestrian traffic to visually impaired people by emitting sound and vibration signals so that they know when to cross the road safely.

At some crossings with higher vehicle flows and lower pedestrian traffic, eATS units are equipped with a pedestrian push-button function. The green pedestrian signal will only be activated after it is pressed, allowing more vehicles to pass through the junction.

Besides retaining these existing functions, five new features have been added to the new-generation eATS units to better meet users’ needs.

An illumination unit is installed at the top of the new units, making it easier for those with amblyopia to locate the pedestrian crossing.

Secondly, a tactile map is provided on the side of the units, providing layout information about the crossing for the visually impaired.

A voice message about the crossing’s location is also added. By pressing the activation button at the bottom, the device will read out the name of streets near the crossing in Cantonese, Putonghua and English to inform users of their location.

Fourthly, a touchless pedestrian push button sensor is provided, allaying users’ hygiene concerns.

The fifth feature is a new night-time operation mode. When no visually impaired people are seeking to cross the road at night, the unit’s operating volume will be lower than the existing level to reduce its impact on neighbouring residents.

Visually impaired people can use the remote-control function on a newly designed dedicated wireless device, or the “HKeMobility” mobile app, to temporarily increase volume on an eATS unit when they need to cross the road.

About 15,000 dedicated wireless devices will be distributed free of charge to visually impaired people in the third quarter of this year to launch the new function.

The Transport Department said most of the existing eATS units have exceeded their normal lifespan after being in operation for over two decades, adding that their fault rate has been increasing, necessitating a large-scale replacement.

The department commenced replacement of some 13,000 eATS units at about 2,000 junctions across the city from April in phases, and the replacement is expected to be completed by end-2027.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin attended the Education World Forum 2025 in London on May 19 where she highlighted Hong Kong’s experience in achieving quality and equity in education.

 

Under the five key themes this year, namely Stability, Equity, Quality, Innovation and Growth, Ms Choi shared Hong Kong’s practical experience with education ministers and senior officials from various countries and regions.

 

This year, the forum focused on the development of inclusive education systems that drive equitable and sustainable socio-economic growth. In her keynote speech titled “How & why should education systems improve equity & increase quality?”, Ms Choi introduced Hong Kong’s policy measures and achievements in providing quality and equitable education.

 

She said that, in achieving quality education, Hong Kong has been participating in various international assessments to understand more about the capabilities of Hong Kong students and the key factors that shape their learning effectiveness.

 

Hong Kong students’ overall performance in both the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics & Science Study exceeding the international average is a testament to the brilliance of students, the teaching effectiveness of schools and teachers, and the strengths of Hong Kong’s education system.

 

The Education Bureau attaches great importance to teachers’ continuing professional development. To enhance teachers’ professional competencies, the bureau has been providing diversified training programmes, organising teacher professional development programmes in collaboration with local, Mainland and overseas universities, and offering scholarships to encourage teachers to participate in overseas exchanges and training activities.

 

In terms of education equity, PISA results showed that the family background and socio-economic status of Hong Kong students had a relatively small impact on their performance, reflecting that Hong Kong’s education system enables equal education opportunities.

 

To ensure that every student has access to quality education, the bureau has developed a broad and balanced 15-year school curriculum framework, and in addition to engaging students in a diverse range of life-wide learning activities, it offers various programmes to support e-learning.

 

The bureau has also been providing non-Chinese speaking students with all-encompassing learning support and implementing the Whole School Approach to Integrated Education.

 

Apart from delivering the keynote speech, Ms Choi met several UK education officials, including UK Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson, UK Minister of State (Minister for School Standards) at the Department for Education Catherine McKinnell and UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Children & Families) at the Department for Education Janet Daby, to discuss the strengthening of education collaboration between the two places.

 

Additionally, Ms Choi met education officials from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka attending the forum to explore room for education collaboration between Hong Kong and Belt & Road countries. She also met an official of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology to discuss the strengthening of education co-operation.

 

Ms Choi then visited Imperial College London to learn about its experience in the promotion of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics) education in secondary and primary schools, as well as the preparation of the relevant teaching materials for schools.

 

Furthermore, Ms Choi paid a courtesy call on Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang to introduce the latest education developments in Hong Kong.

 

On May 20, the education chief will meet local education officials to discuss enhancing higher education collaboration between the UK and Hong Kong. She also plans to exchange views with representatives of several UK universities and share Hong Kong’s latest developments in building into an international education hub.

 

Ms Choi will conclude her visit on the same day and return to Hong Kong.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, attended the Education World Forum (EWF) 2025 in London, the United Kingdom (UK), on May 19 (London time). Under the five key themes this year, namely Stability, Equity, Quality, Innovation and Growth, Dr Choi shared Hong Kong’s practical experience with education ministers and senior officials from various countries and regions.

The EWF is the largest gathering of education and skills ministers in the world, providing an excellent platform for discussing education policies and strengthening education ties. This year, the forum focused on the development of inclusive education systems that drive equitable and sustainable socio-economic growth. In her keynote speech titled “How and why should education systems improve equity and increase quality?”, Dr Choi introduced Hong Kong’s policy measures and achievements in providing quality and equitable education.