Letters | Hong Kong could try an evolved approach to workfare, like Singapore
Readers discuss unemployment support, the call for ‘integration’, and the current sad state of the Airport Express
The Hong Kong government has announced that it will replace the Employment Support Services (EmSS) under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme with the Support Programme for the Unemployed (SPU) on a pilot basis next year.
The current programme was judged ineffective, with a disappointing 17.9 per cent of EmSS recipients finding employment or returning to mainstream education for three months.
The SPU will mandate that recipients engage in at least one hour of unpaid work each week, with sanctions for non-compliance. This is not a new idea; a workfare scheme introduced in 1999 also required voluntary work once or twice a week but only 13 per cent found work.
In contrast, the Australian government plans to deliver paid job placements through a new WorkFoundations programme. This initiative is timely, given the criticism of low support payments and an ineffective employment services system. An Australian Council of Social Service report highlights that 557,000 people have been on income support for over a year, half of them have health issues and nearly a third are 55 and older.
Therefore, the low rate of people finding work should not be seen as laziness but as failure to address shrinking entry-level jobs.
