Government leads way with 300 jobs created for social enterprises
About HK$170 million worth of cleaning contracts will be awarded by the government next year to help social enterprises, the chief executive announced yesterday.
Speaking at the summit on social enterprises yesterday, Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said the business sector should be more active in helping them and the government would lead the way in tendering more contracts to them. The focus of social enterprises is providing jobs and services, rather than making profits.
'We will give 38 cleaning work contracts to social enterprises next year,' he said. 'The contracts, by 19 government departments, will create about 300 jobs.'
The contracts would be worth about HK$170 million, he said.
Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-sing said the pilot scheme would involve contracts throughout Hong Kong's 18 districts. 'We will see how the social enterprises respond to cleaning work first,' Mr Tsang said. 'If the reaction is positive, we may contract out more work.'
Salvation Army community relations director Wong Kwok-ching welcomed the government move but said he hoped the tendering process would be monitored closely.