Chief Executive Carrie Lam has said that the government is preparing another round of subsidies for businesses impacted by the Omicron outbreaks.
Across most sectors, the unemployment rates fell in the September-November quarter as compared with the preceding three month period.
Unvaccinated government staff may need to get tested for COVID-19 every week instead of once every two weeks.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam noted that it was important to retain mothers in the workforce while offering them better childcare support.
The jobless rate in Hong Kong fell from 4.7% in the June-August period to 4.5% in the July-September quarter, the lowest since the first quarter last year.
The schemes have so far granted a total of HK$170 billion (US$21.8 billion) in loans to 67,000 applicants, which include 41,600 companies.
The improved business sentiment has been attributed to the global economic recovery and the improved local COVID-19 situation.
Civil servants, teachers and healthcare workers must get inoculated against COVID-19 or pay for regular testing.
Some 213,000 people are still out of jobs, but this is 20,200 fewer than the preceding quarter, as Hong Kong's labour market continues to recover.
In the first half this year, 56,253 local companies have registered their businesses, bringing the total number to 1.38 million.
Hong Kong’s jobless rate fell for three consecutive months to a one-year low in May, as the economy continues to recover from the pandemic.
Employees who face discrimination if they refused to be vaccinated may be able to mount a legal challenge, depending if it is "reasonable or necessary."
This will apply to all government employees, which includes civil servants, non-civil service contract staff and post-retirement service contract staff.
The minimum wage in Hong Kong has been frozen for the first time since the Minimum Wage Ordinance came into effect in 2011.
This comes amid fears that the salaries of civil servants could suffer a cut this year as Hong Kong continues to be impacted by the pandemic.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam has affirmed her commitment to create jobs, improve employee welfare and boost protection of workers’ interests.
Business sector legislators have called for short-term support for the unemployed in the form of HK$6,000 per month for six months.
The government also plans to provide F&B businesses an additional tranche of subsidies under the Anti-Epidemic Fund.
This is part of Hong Kong’s Job Creation Scheme, which aims to create 30,000 temporary jobs in the public and private sectors over the next two years.
Hong Kong’s jobless rate climbed to 7.2% in the December-to-February period, up 0.2 percentage points from the November-to-January period.
About 180,000 Hongkongers who were unemployed for at least two months since the start of last year will also be eligible to apply for low-interest loans.
Unemployment will plague Hong Kong for years ahead, and that it may take more than three years for the jobless rate to fall below 5%.
As the restrictions on businesses ease in Hong Kong, testing centres for COVID-19 are stretched to the max due to mandatory testing.
The minister said that it would be tricky to draw the line for when the scheme should stop, and urged that public policy needs to be fair.
While unemployment is severe among the lower class, middle-level occupations have also been badly hit by unemployment.
The basic subsidy for low-income families, once relaxed, would benefit around 24,000 more underemployed households.
The decision was made after a review from government officials, academics and business representatives showed majority consensus.
The government’s intervention and support are crucial in the early stage of innovation and tech development, says city financial chief.
Labour minister Law Chi-Kwong said the proposal to gradually increase the number of statutory holidays from 12 to 17 by 2030 is “most acceptable”.
Hong Kong's government is offering companies a grant of HK$10,000 (US$1,290) for each recent college graduate they employ.
