MIL Asia Pacific Publishing Engine

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is the speech by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, during his presentation on the discussion topic of “Investing in People and Enhancing Vocational Skills Training” at the 8th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Human Resources Development Ministerial Meeting in Nanjing this afternoon (September 21):

Honourable Madam Chair, 尊敬的大會主席, 王曉萍部長 (Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, Ms Wang Xiaoping), fellow ministers and colleagues,

Good morning. First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, and also the Jiangsu Provincial Government, for organising this meeting and also your warm hospitality, not least the river boat last night, which really brought us back to the past.

Full and high-quality employment is essential for sustainable economic growth. As our economies face ageing populations and rapid technological changes, Hong Kong, China focuses on three pillars, namely employment support, skills training and strong worker protection.

Hong Kong, China’s labour market and talent base

With a population of about 7.5 million and a labour force of 3.8 million, over 96 per cent of our workforce is currently employed. Our workforce is increasingly well educated. In 2025, almost half of our workforce attained a post-secondary education.

In the face of the ageing population, Hong Kong, China is actively attracting global talent who are usually young and energetic through dynamic admission schemes. In the latest global talent ranking, we ranked fourth globally and first in Asia. This strong mix of local and international talent gives us a solid foundation for our future growth.

Employment support

Despite our low unemployment rate, we offer effective employment support, in particular for job seekers who may find it hard to get a job due to their age or lack of work experience. At times of uncertainties of the AI age, we believe the Government has the role to work together with the business sector to create more jobs. In this sense, Hong Kong, China will launch a two-year youth employment and internship programme. Among them, we will work together with the business sector, with the Government paying a third, and the business sector paying two-thirds of their wages for 10 000 young people in the next two years, hoping to create six-month-long jobs for these 10 000 young people. Our purpose is to help those to get a taste of the workplace to prepare them for a long-term job.

For elderly and middle-aged persons, Hong Kong, China provides a re-employment allowance for individuals aged 40 and above who have been unemployed for at least three months when they re-enter the labour market. So far, we have helped 53 000 people to get a job through the programme.

Looking ahead, we will also enhance our employment support by using AI to provide personalised job matching and training recommendations for our workforce.

Skills training

Hong Kong, China, begins to invest in training, to empower our workforce with skills, support and opportunities they need to thrive in a changing economy. Through our Employees Retraining Board, we offer over 800 market-driven training courses across 28 industry areas to more than 160 000 trainees every year. The Board right now is undergoing strategic operations to become Upskill Hong Kong, so that all employees in Hong Kong could master digital skills and adapt to artificial intelligence.

In addition, through our Vocational Training Council, we offer a wide range of practical and short in-service training courses across different sectors to over 100 000 student enrolments every year.

Strong worker protection

In Hong Kong, China, employees enjoy comprehensive labour rights and protection. We establish tripartite platforms on labour matters to encourage open dialogue between employers and employees, enhance mutual understanding and forge consensus. We also encourage employers to be employee-friendly and family-friendly.

With the rapid growth of the digital platform businesses, we are working on the legislation to formalise work injury compensation for digital platform workers engaging in food and goods delivery services.

Our goal is clear. We are determined to build a society where every member of the workforce can share the benefits of economic values.

Closing remarks

Promoting high-quality and full employment calls for a balanced and comprehensive approach. For Hong Kong, China that means creating the conditions for workers and enterprises to adapt, grow and thrive together. Hong Kong, China will continue to work closely with employers, employees, training institutions and other stakeholders to strengthen the resilience and adaptability of our workforce.

Thank you.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

Yellow fire danger warning

The fire danger situation today (September 19) is yellow and the risk of fire is high. People are urged to prevent fires breaking out and hikers should also be vigilant.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Hong Kong Customs today (September 20) conducted an enforcement operation at the JGW September (Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong September) being held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, seizing about 27 items of suspected infringing jewellery with a total estimated market value of about $160,000.
 
Customs received information alleging that infringing jewellery were displayed for sale at some booths at the JGW September which lasted for five consecutive days starting from September 16.
 
After an in-depth investigation and with the assistance of the copyright owner, Customs officers today seized 24 items of suspected infringing jewellery from a booth. Customs officers also conducted premises search at an associated company located at Hung Hom, further seizing three items of suspected infringing jewellery.
 
During the operation, one man and one woman, aged between 47 and 65, were arrested for being suspected of contravening the Copyright Ordinance. One of them is the person-in-charge and one of them is a staff member. An investigation is ongoing and the likelihood of further arrests is not ruled out.
 
Customs attaches great importance to combating counterfeiting and infringing activities and will deploy officers to different exhibitions to conduct inspections from time to time. Customs will contact the relevant trademark or copyright owners immediately to confirm the authenticity of the goods when suspected counterfeit or infringing goods are found. The department will also take enforcement action after investigations and with the assistance of the trademark or copyright owners.
 
Customs will continue to take stringent enforcement action. Booth exhibitors are reminded to respect intellectual property rights and not to sell counterfeit and infringing goods.
 
Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who sells or possesses for sale any goods with a forged trademark commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.
 
Under the Copyright Ordinance, any person who sells or possesses for sale an infringing copy of a copyright work commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $50,000 for each piece of infringing goods and imprisonment for four years.
 
Members of the public may report any suspected counterfeiting activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region