Travel sector to hire 2,000 for vaccination centres

Travel industry representatives are preparing to launch a recruitment exercise to fill up to 2,000 temporary positions at Hong Kong’s 24 community vaccination centres, for roles including customer service and administrative support.

The government says the jobs, which will last from May to September, are aimed at helping unemployed or underemployed workers from the hard-hit tourism and hotel industries.

Only people with at least two years of experience in the sectors are eligible to apply.

Members of 18 tourism and hotel associations have formed a new company – Tourism Industry CVC Administrative Services Limited – to coordinate the recruitment exercise from April 11 to April 19. The associations said the firm will be given HK$2 million for this work.

They said around 60 to 80 workers will be sent to each of the 24 centres, filling positions including centre supervisors, assistant centre supervisors and registration officers.

The new hires will work on either a part-time or full-time basis, and receive salaries ranging from around HK$10,000 to HK40,000 a month.

The whole scheme, estimated to cost around HK$150 million, will be paid for out of the government’s anti-epidemic fund.

Jason Wong, the vice-convenor of the new company, said the recruitment schedule is tight, and they will try their best to spread word of the new jobs through various channels, such as sending text messages to tourism industry workers. He said they expect at least 7,000 to 8,000 people to apply.

Asked why workers from the aviation industry – also hard-hit by the pandemic – are not eligible to apply for the jobs, Wong said this scheme is focused on helping the travel industry.

“We have been communicating with the authorities to help create more jobs, but I think this proposal is from the travel trade right now to help to create as many jobs as possible. But in case there are more job opportunities, I think the government will be happy to open more jobs for different industries as well,” he said.