People attend a job fair under the Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme, March 24, 2021. (PHOTO/HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government’s effort to boost employment of Hong Kong young people in the mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has been well received, with over 1,090 job applications being accepted so far, the SAR government said on Wednesday.

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The Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme, launched by the Labour Department in January 2021, allows enterprises who have a business in the Greater Bay Area to employ Hong Kong graduates with a monthly stipend of HK$10,000 ($1,280) for up to 18 months.

Among the 1,090 participants in the Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme, 689 chose to work in Shenzhen, and 721, or 66.1 percent of the participants, are 20 to 24 years old

According to a government statement, among the 1,090 participants in the Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme, 689 chose to work in Shenzhen, and 721, or 66.1 percent of the participants, are 20 to 24 years old.

As for the occupations: Professionals and managers/administrators take up 44.4 percent and 26.4 percent respectively, and around 61 percent of the participants work in business services and the finance industry.

In a reply to a lawmaker’s inquiry, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai said that since 2019, the government has introduced many policy initiatives — including the new program — to help Hong Kong residents, especially young people, who want to work and start a new business in the mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area.

Noting that the Labor Department has set up a dedicated website and organized several talks to get participants better prepared, Tsang said the department will also proactively follow up and keep in close contact with Guangdong provincial authorities to provide the participants appropriate support and assistance.

Many enterprises have offered the participants assistance outside the workplace, including arranging residences for the participants and coaching by experienced employees, to help the participants adapt to local life, Tsang said.

He said the SAR government is particularly grateful to the Guangdong government for providing each participant a monthly living allowance of up to 1,000 yuan ($160).

Looking ahead, Tsang vowed to continue to encourage and provide support for Hong Kong's young people to develop their careers in the Greater Bay Area.

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The SAR government will establish an Alliance of Hong Kong Youth Innovative and Entrepreneurial Bases in the Greater Bay Area to support young entrepreneurs of Hong Kong in the mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area, Tsang said.

Tsang added that sizeable organizations from Guangdong and Hong Kong with proven track record, such as innovative and entrepreneurial bases, universities, and NGOs, will be invited to join and set up a one-stop information, publicity and exchange platform.

In addition, members of the alliance and representatives of Hong Kong young entrepreneurs will meet with the governments of two sides regularly to improve the alliance’s work, with a view to making it an effective platform for addressing entrepreneurial-related issues, Tsang said.