In Brief
Local athletes to receive career support
Hong Kong's elite athletes will receive professional career services from Adecco, and will be the first in Asia to join the Athlete Career Programme designed by the human resources solutions provider and its partner, the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The comprehensive programme focuses on career development training and job placement support - both of which are crucial to the long-term career success of the athletes. It is also designed to support them during the transition to another career after they retire from sport. Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, president of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, said the partnership was initiated because the extensive effort athletes invested in sports would leave them limited time to prepare for their post-sporting life.
Pace of hiring in US slows due to credit crisis
The number of United States workers filing claims for jobless aid fell by 2,000 last month, government data showed, while the number of people still collecting benefits rose to its highest since April. A Reuters report on the US Labour Department data said that initial filings for state unemployment insurance benefits fell to 322,000 for the week to August 18 from an upwardly revised 324,000 the week before. However, the number of unemployed people still on the benefit rolls after drawing an initial week of aid rose to the highest level since mid-April. The number of 'continued claims' rose by 16,000 to 2.57 million in the week to August 11, the latest period for which these figures were available. It had been expected to come in at 2.56 million. 'Continued claims continue to edge up,' said Christopher Low, chief economist for FTN Financial in New York. 'It's an indication of net hiring; the pace of hiring has slowed in recent weeks because of the turmoil in the credit market.'
