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Promoting
Employment, Moving towards Self-reliance
47.
The
core principle of our poverty-alleviation policy is
to help the disadvantaged move from welfare to
self-reliance through promoting employment. In
fostering economic development, we must also address
the needs of our workers who are unable to adapt to
economic restructuring. We will do so by
providing them with employment assistance and
retraining opportunities, so as to help them achieve
self-reliance and improve their livelihood, with a
view to building a harmonious society.
48.
The
Government has accepted the Commission's
recommendation to introduce a one-year pilot
Transport Support Scheme in the middle of this year,
to encourage unemployed and low-income people in
financial difficulties who live in remote areas to
seek jobs and work across districts. It is
estimated that this scheme will incur expenditure of
about $300 million. To enhance youth
employability, we will also provide a transport
allowance for participants in the Youth
Pre-Employment Training Programme and the Youth Work
Experience and Training Programme.
49.
As for CSSA
recipients at work, I will raise the "no-deduction"
limit for disregarded earnings from $600 to $800 and
relax the criteria for allowing CSSA recipients to
be eligible for disregarded earnings from not less
than three months on CSSA to not less than two
months. We estimate the cost of this
initiative to be about $30 million a year.
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