The newly founded Hong Kong Coalition will help create job opportunities for the city’s young people, as well as boosting a depressed economy, coalition convener Leung Chun-ying said on Tuesday.
Leung, who is also a vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and a former Hong Kong chief executive, said each of the coalition’s members will find ways to use their resources and contacts to help young people, especially graduates, find jobs in tough economic circumstances.
Whether the job-seekers are seeking full-time or part-time positions, or even volunteer work, the coalition’s goal is to leave them with a resume that isn’t blank when the economy recovers, Leung said
Whether the job-seekers are seeking full-time or part-time positions, or even volunteer work, the coalition’s goal is to leave them with a resume that isn’t blank when the economy recovers, Leung said.
After a year of turmoil that included violent protests and the COVID-19 pandemic, Hong Kong on Monday announced its steepest quarterly GDP plunge on record, a drop of 8.9 percent, while retail sales sank 42 percent in March.
Now is the right time to form the alliance to help the city recover, Leung said. It is not only a slogan, but a common goal for everyone in the coalition, with concrete efforts invested in reviving the economy and saving jobs.
Noting that the founding of the alliance has gained support from Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Leung said the coalition will also make use of its resources to assist the government in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first step is to distribute 4 million face masks to children and 6 million to adults over the coming weekend, Leung said.
The coalition has 1,545 members from various sectors — business, politics, academia, and youth organizations.
Members of the organization also include grassroots representatives who are participating in the fight against the virus, plus professionals in sanitation as well as stakeholders in logistics and the supply chain, Leung said.
All will strive to improve people’s livelihoods during these difficult times, he said.
Speaking to China Daily after the ceremony, Stanley Ng Chau-pei, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People’s Congress and president of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, said the alliance is very concerned about the unemployment issue in a declining economy.
Noting that the coalition has many business leaders, Ng said he believes they are committed to creating job opportunities, especially for young people who have just graduated or lost their jobs.
Connie Wong Wai-ching, a businesswoman and member of the CPPCC National Committee, said she hopes to use the platform to contribute to Hong Kong so that the next generation can live prosperous and contented lives.
