The Labour Department provides diversified modes of free employment and recruitment services to job-seekers through a network of 11 district-based Job Centres (two of which are Employment and Guidance Centres for New Arrivals), a Telephone Employment Service Centre, a Central Recruitment Unit and a Job Vacancy Processing Centre. In addition, special recruitment activities are held regularly to assist job-seekers in finding jobs and employers in recruiting staff. Employment services are also available on the Internet round-the-clock through the Interactive Employment Services (iES) website.

    In 2002, 208 895 job-seekers registered with the Labour Department, 209 570 vacancies were received and 62 467 placements achieved. During the year, new vacancy search terminals, which are directly connected to the huge data bank of the iES, have been installed at all the Job Centres. These terminals enable job-seekers to access the comprehensive and up-to-date vacancy information of the department promptly and print out their selected vacancies to facilitate job application.

Helping the Disabled Find Jobs

The Selective Placement Division of the Labour Department helps people with a disability integrate into the community through open employment. It provides a free employment counselling and placement service for the hearing impaired, sight impaired, physically handicapped, chronically ill, ex-mentally ill and mentally handicapped. In 2002, the division launched a series of activities to promote the employment of people with a disability. It recorded 4 225 job-seekers with a disability and achieved 2 572 placements.

Employment Agencies

The Employment Agencies Administration of the Labour Department enforces Part XII of the Employment Ordinance and the Employment Agency Regulations. It monitors the operation of employment agencies through licensing, inspection and complaint investigation. In 2002, it issued 1 489 employment agency licences, revoked six such licences, refused to renew one licence and refused to issue one licence.

Employment Outside Hong Kong

The External Employment Service of the Labour Department administers the Contracts for Employment Outside Hong Kong Ordinance to safeguard the interests of local employees engaged to work outside Hong Kong for foreign employers. All employment contracts involving manual employees, or non-manual employees with monthly wages not exceeding $20,000, must be attested by the Commissioner for Labour.

Telephone Enquiry Service

The Labour Department's Telephone Enquiry Service handles general enquiries on labour legislation and services offered by the department. Guided by a interactive voice processing system, callers can listen to pre-recorded messages and obtain fax information 24 hours a day by making a selection from a wide range of topics. The service is supplemented by staff operators during office hours to handle more complicated enquiries. The service handled 1 266 039 calls in 2002.