香港的失业问题与对策——“工利”视角

The Unemployment Issue and Its Solution in Hong Kong:A Workfare Perspective

面对市场和人口转变所带来的新的失业问题,福利国家正在积极地改革失业保障制度以降低失业率。在西方国家福利改革中一个共同的趋势是在社会救助体系中推出'工利'(workfare)政策,主要包括强制性就业、培训和财政激励三种形式,以推动有劳动能力的被救助者再就业。以此看待香港政府在应对失业问题上的政策,本文发现三种类型的政策都以不同的形式出现,但其背后的理念却始终是将失业归咎于劳动力市场的供方,并未在需求方面过多着墨。面对来势汹汹的新一轮金融海啸,如何提出更为有效的工利政策,协助失业者重返劳动力市场是一个极具研究意义的课题。

Global Economic slowndown and demographic changes have brought into the labour market a new wave of challenges.To reduce unemployment in this context,unemployment security system is subject to undertake further reform.It has been witnessed that developed countries have a tendency to introduce workfare policies that aimed at reinserting the unemployed into labour market in recent decades.Three types of these policies—work first,training and financial incentives—are identified in this effort.An analysis on government’s responses to unemployment,it is found that these three types of policies have,to various degree,emerged in Hong Kong,however,with an ideology pointing the finger at the supply side rather than the demand side.To tackle the negative impacts of the financial tsunami upon labour market.Workfare policies are in a position to provide more effective measures to protect and better equip the labour force in the context of the current financial tsunami.