Business community urged to do more for maintaining HK's competitiveness

Hong Kong Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang Wednesday called on Hong Kong business community to do more by speaking up on important issues, those having an impact on Hong Kong's competitiveness and attraction as a world city in particular.

Speaking at a luncheon of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, he said "areas such as culture and heritage, conservation, education, recreation and sport, law and order, social welfare - the government needs to hear your views, the public needs to hear your views, on how we can maintain Hong Kong's energy and vitality and viability, not just in the economic realm, but in the social and political realms as well."

He said, the Constitutional Development Task Force will start holding focus groups with various sectors and groups of society to seek more views and input on the way forward and to look for common ground. He looked forward to an active part of the business sector in this process.

The chief secretary encouraged the business sector to re-focus on sustaining their long-term competitiveness by investing more in their own workforce.

He required the business community to walk an extra mile to treasure, nurture and strengthen their own human resources, adding employee layoffs can be prevented, or at least reduced, by progressive and anticipatory staff-training programs.

Tsang also encouraged companies to run short-term placement programs for young graduates and school leavers in the coming summer and to provide them with a taste of what work in real life means.

Source: Xinhua