The Job Creation Scheme will create 30,000 time-limited jobs in the public and private sectors in the coming two years for people of different skill sets and academic qualifications, especially young people.

Secretary for Labour & Welfare Dr Law Chi-kwong made the remarks today and told lawmakers that the scheme, under the Anti-epidemic Fund, aims to relieve the worsening unemployment situation due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

He said as graduates and young people lacking work experience have encountered great difficulties in finding job opportunities, many of the jobs under the scheme are created specifically for fresh graduates, or especially suitable for young people to apply.

Among the more than 20,000 jobs created, nearly 10,000 are positions ideal for young people.

With elements or training conducive to long-term career development specially included in the job positions, young people will be able to gain the necessary work experience, Dr Law added.

About 2,000 jobs are created to subsidise private employers to employ graduates and assistant professionals from the engineering, architecture, surveying, town planning and landscape streams.

More than 2,000 jobs are created to subsidise the financial services sectors, local fintech companies, start-ups and other enterprises engaging in fintech-related businesses to employ staff, while over 500 jobs are created to subsidise private companies to employ fresh graduates working in areas related to environmental protection.

There are also jobs created in other sectors such as new positions specifically for university graduates in the logistics sector.

Meanwhile, there are some time-limited jobs for handling executive and clerical work in government departments, and training subsidy schemes for university graduates and trainee places.

Dr Law pointed out that the Home Affairs Bureau subsidises non-governmental organisations (NGOs) through the Funding Scheme for Youth Internship in the Mainland to organise Mainland internship activities for local young people to enable them to see for themselves the actual workplace environment of the Mainland, as well as acquire a deeper understanding of the employment market, work culture and development opportunities therein.

He said, being one of the major co-operation initiatives between Hong Kong and Guangdong, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area Hong Kong Youth Internship Scheme launched under the Funding Scheme for Youth Internship in the Mainland has been expanded to cover all the Mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area since last year.

About 950 young people have taken up internship placements in the bay area which helped them set their career goals ahead, accumulate work experience and build interpersonal networks, thus facilitating their future development in the bay area.

Additionally, a new funding scheme has been introduced under the bureau’s Youth Development Fund to subsidise NGOs to organise short-term experiential programmes at the innovation and entrepreneurial bases in the Mainland cities of the bay area.

Dr Law explained that the programmes’ goal is to enrich Hong Kong young people's understanding of the innovation and entrepreneurial bases, as well as the relevant policies and supporting measures on innovation and entrepreneurship of the Mainland.

He emphasised that such enrichment will assist young people to consider settling in the relevant innovation and entrepreneurial bases and starting businesses therein in the future.

He also stated that the bureau will continue to enhance and expand the various youth internship and entrepreneurship programmes on the Mainland to provide Hong Kong young people deeper, wider and more diversified opportunities to explore the bay area as well as other Mainland provinces and cities.

By experiencing the local culture and conducting an in-depth exchange with local young people, Hong Kong youth could gain a better understanding of and seize the opportunities in the bay area and integrate in the overall development of the country, Dr Law added.