"Young DAB" advocating government to provide subsidies internship
source and credit: takungpao
Translated by cici@Asianuniverse.net

Cheung Kok-kun believes that under the circumstances of the government providing a suitable allowance, many enterprises are still interested in providing internships for graduates


Perhaps "graduation equal to unemployment" has become a reality in financial crisis. Therefore, "Young DAB" wishes to introduce "internship graduates Allowance Scheme" to the Administration in the hope of the government coordinating with business industries to provide half a year of internships to students, at the same time providing internship participants of a monthly allowance of 5000 dollars. The estimated budget of this project is about 90 million dollars. "Young DAB" hopes this program will be introduced to this year's students before they graduate next year.

Yesterday, "Young DAB" held a press conference on the economic environment of Hong Kong government in supporting employment to give recommendations. "Youth DAB," Chairman and education policy, and deputy spokesman of the DAB, Cheung Kok-Kun believes many enterprises are still interested in providing suitable training positions to the new graduates under the environment that the government is providing a suitable allowance. These enterprises include local businesses, Mainland Hong Kong enterprises, and even large-scale mainland state-owned enterprises.

According to the latest released government statistics, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increases three times in a row since September 2008 to November of 3.8 percent. The unemployment rate is expected to further increases significantly in the short term while the net growth of the new jobs created in the third quarter of this year is only 0.51 percent which is the lowest in more than two and a half years. Cheung Kok-Kun says that next year there will be 29,000 college and university graduates. According to the financial crisis in 1998, the university graduate unemployment situation was 6.6 percent, so it is expected to have at least 10 percent of university graduates going into unemployment, and the number is at least 2900. "Young DAB" hopes the Government will actively liaise with relevant businesses to provide students with a half-year internship, so that employers are fully aware of the real capacity of the students, which also provide opportunities for university students for self-enhancement.

In addition, the economic crisis causes many industries, such as import and export trade, finance and banking sectors to shrink. Cheung kok-Kun proposes that regardless of whether the enterprises provide any remuneration, during the internship, he hopes the government can provide students an average salary, that is 5000 dollars, from past graduate students median salary. This project will involve a cost of about 87 million dollars. If the unemployed number of graduates from next year is over the expected estimate, they will advise the Government to increase additional expenditure.