The government is determined to build an inclusive work environment for ethnic minorities (EM), Undersecretary for Labour Ho Kai-ming said as he officiated at the opening ceremony of a jobs fair on Wednesday. Ho told reporters that the Labour Department has been assisting non-Chinese people in landing government jobs, such as relaxing language requirements. "We have provided some case management projects to provide some help for them to work. Last year, we have helped about 500 EM employees to take up jobs," he said. "Furthermore, we have adjusted our Chinese proficiency levels to help them enter the government to work, but all of the civil servants need to know some Chinese. Therefore, we will discuss with departments continuously to employ more EM citizens." Equal Opportunities Commission chairwoman Linda Lam, meanwhile, said job fairs are a way to promote a more racially diverse workplace. "The language barrier is a common hurdle [for EM job-seekers], but other factors such as bias and stereotypes exist too," Lam said. "We have reached out to our racially diverse network of employers to bring in job openings that could be promising for potential employees from diverse races and qualifications, and have their language barrier thoughtfully considered," she added. Jobseeker Rizwan who was at the fair said he has been looking for a job for around a year. "Once I went into the job market, [not knowing Chinese] was very tough. They [companies] do require you to either speak Chinese or they want you to have a lot of other experience. But in the CV and experience I show, they say that I don't have that experience," he said. Non-Chinese students were also taken to the event to learn how to search for a job. "I think every non-Chinese students is used to that [discrimination] in Hong Kong, a little racism here and there. But it's not too bad. People just want to judge, and you can't change the way other people think," said Nareena, 16. She added that she will maintain her confidence and continue to pursue her dreams. The job fair, co-organised by the Labour Department and the DAB's ethnic minority committee, is being held in Mong Kok for two days. A total of 50 companies will participate in the fair, offering more than 3,100 job openings.
