Dear Members,

As Hong Kong’s economic rebound gathered momentum, the unemployment rate was remarkably lower with the easing of the COVID-19 situation. By sector, unemployment rates across industries heavily impacted by the pandemic previously, recorded significant decreases this year.

However, the labour market’s recovery remained mired in uncertainty as the pandemic lingered. To express solidarity with our member organisations amid unprecedented challenges, the HKIHRM Job Creation Scheme (JCS) 1.0 was launched in early 2021 under the umbrella of the HKSAR Government’s Anti-epidemic Fund. Offering subsidies for 500 timelimited new jobs, the scheme was oversubscribed by a wide margin with all quotas filled in May. In view of JCS 1.0’s resounding success, JCS 2.0 will be launched soon to expand the reach of our support to more members.

As the return to the office gathers steam, HR professionals need to support employees in readjusting to office life. Through providing options such as hybrid work and creating training programmes for staff to reskill and upskill themselves, we can ensure our workforces are adapting to the digital age accelerated by COVID-19.

Speaking of digitalisation, consumption vouchers can now be used for the HKIHRM’s payments by Octopus or Alipay. This enables hassle free electronic payments with just a click for our membership renewal, workshops and seminars, flagship and signature events, as well as research and survey reports.

Furthermore, the HKIHRM HR Excellence Awards 2021/2022 has now kicked off. In recognition of organisations’ caring and innovative initiatives in response to the pandemic which benefitted employees and/or their families, a new citation – the Special Award for COVID-19 Response – has been added. The results of our 2021 Topical Study: Emerging from the COVID-19 Crisis: HR Practices & Policies will also be out in October.

Last but not least, the HR Journal will hop on the digital bandwagon in early 2022. This shift will allow our members to get the latest updates and insights on the world of work at a swifter pace and be on top of HR trends. Stay tuned for this exciting transition.

Lawrence Hung

Vice President of the HKIHRM