Ethnic minorities come in for major focus at job fair

A two-day job fair to embrace multiculturalism in workplaces began at MacPherson Stadium in Mong Kok yesterday.

The fair, organized by the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong and the Labour Department, provides 4,300 vacancies to jobseekers, including

ethnic minorities.

The police force and the Correctional Services Department are among those lining up to recruit people.

Correctional Services human resources officer Tejnani Ravi K said: "We have a high vacancy rate and we hope to hire as many as possible.

"We hope to hire more ethnic minority staff who can become a bridge in communication.

"About 18 to 20 percent of incarcerated people are ethnic minorities. The language and cultural barriers between them and the locals cause confusion and conflicts," he said, adding the department is hosting career talks, workshops and mentoring to boost ethnic-minority employment.

"We need assistant officers II and officers the most," said Tejnani. The two positions have a starting wage of HK$23,365 and HK$41,880.

"Our language requirements are passes in Chinese and English in public exams. IB, GCSE or IELTS results are also accepted," he said.

The police force is using Project Gemstone to provide Chinese and fitness classes for ethnic minorities as part of its recruitment drive.

Balal Zaffar of the auxiliary police said: "Project Gemstone helped me because it had people with the same goals of learning Chinese and applying for the disciplined forces. It allowed me to achieve more."

Though applications cannot be made at the booth, potential candidates can still register with the force to get more information about a job.

For its part, the Labour Department arranged for minority employment assistants to help job applicants.

"Most jobs require applicants to speak in Chinese, so the department provides ethnic minority links showing vacancies that are for non-Chinese speakers," said Lisa Indrawati, a minority employment assistant.

"We also help with job applications and resume building," she said.