Employees Retraining (Amendment) Bill 2026 gazetted
The Government published in the Gazette today (June 26) the Employees Retraining (Amendment) Bill 2026, which seeks to rename the Employees Retraining Board (ERB) as Upskill Hong Kong, expand its statutory functions and powers as necessary to enable the ERB to implement the remaining reform measures along the direction promulgated in the 2024 and 2025 Policy Addresses, and enhance its operational efficiency.
Labour and Welfare Bureau, Photo source: reference image
A spokesman for the Labour and Welfare Bureau said, "Upskill Hong Kong, upon the upgrade, will continue to honour its commitment to serving local grassroots workers and those with lower skills or employability. It will also promote continuous learning and upskilling, and develop more advanced skill courses targeting members of the workforce with relatively higher educational attainment and skill levels to continuously enhance their productivity and competitiveness."
The main provisions of the Bill include expanding the statutory functions and powers of the ERB upon its upgrade as Upskill Hong Kong, which encompass the formulation of a skill-based training framework, the provision of training and career-planning services having regard to the framework, and making provisions in respect of related financial matters; enhancing the composition of Upskill Hong Kong; streamlining the procedures to appoint training bodies; renaming the ERB, the Employees Retraining Fund and the Employees Retraining Levy; and introducing technical amendments to enhance operational efficiency.
The Chief Executive announced in the 2024 Policy Address the reform of the ERB and the vigorous strengthening of the training of local workers. The ERB would enhance its role and positioning from providing employment-related training for low-skilled workers in the past to devising skill-based training programmes and strategies for the entire workforce, thereby supporting Hong Kong's economic development. The ERB has, since January 2025, implemented a series of short-term reform measures to enhance its services. Some medium- to long-term reform measures can be fully implemented only after legislative amendments to the Employees Retraining Ordinance (Cap.423).
The Bill will be introduced into the Legislative Council for first and second readings on July 8.
Photo source: reference image
Government makes long-term housing arrangement plan available to Wang Chi House
The Government said today (June 26) that it has received the duly signed "Letter of Acceptance" from over three quarters (75 per cent) of owners of Wang Chi House (Block H) of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po (a total of 193 units) (77.8 per cent), confirming their intention to sell their titles to the Government. According to the follow-up arrangements for Wang Chi House announced earlier, with the strong consensus reached among owners of Wang Chi House, the long-term housing arrangement plan currently applicable to Blocks A to G of Wang Fuk Court will be formally available to Wang Chi House.
A Government spokesman said that the feedback from Wang Chi House owners has been encouraging and positive, reflecting that the long-term housing arrangement plan offered by the Government is attractive and can effectively assist owners in resolving the various uncertainties and complexities that they are facing. These include the difficulties in estimating the time needed before they can move back, handling the modification of the land lease and deed of mutual covenant, the burden of hefty maintenance costs and a potential sharp increase in management fees due to the possible need to source alternative contractors and management companies, the reluctance to move back to Wang Chi House as a result of the psychological distress caused to some owners by the fire, as well as the depreciation of the property values and the hurdles in future property transactions. The plan offered by the Government allows owners to rebuild their long-term homes and start their new lives.
As for Blocks A to G of Wang Fuk Court, the spokesman said that a total of1 361 duly signed "Letters of Acceptance" have been received from the owners as of today, representing approximately78.4 per cent of the total number of units in the seven blocks. The acquisition work has been making good progress.
After selling their titles to the Government and receiving cash payments, owners of the eight buildings of Wang Fuk Court (Blocks A to H) can purchase their home in the market right away, or participate in the Special Sales Exercise dedicated for Wang Fuk Court owners and purchase a new subsidised sale flat (SSF) either through cash or the "Flat-for-Flat" arrangement. The flat selection priority under the Special Sales Exercise will be determined in batches according to the date on which the duly signed "Letter of Acceptance" from the owners is received by the Government. The deadline for the first batch is June 30, while that for the second batch is August 31. The flat selection priority for applicants within the same batch will be further determined by their sequence as drawn in a ballot.
The spokesman encouraged owners of Wang Fuk Court to sign and submit the "Letter of Acceptance" as soon as possible to secure the flat selection priority under the Special Sales Exercise. The spokesman also reminded owners who intend to sell their titles to return the duly signed "Letter of Acceptance" on or before August 31.
As the long-term plan is formally available to Wang Chi House, there will be slight adjustments to the Special Sales Exercise. On top of the approximately 3 900 units currently reserved, an extra 496 units will be added.
Those 496 additionally reserved units all come from the SSF projects of the Hong Kong Housing Society announced under the Special Sales Exercise. Among these, the number of units at the Pak Wo Road project in Fanling will increase by 200, bringing the total from 100 to 300, while the number of units at the Anderson Road Quarry Site project in Kwun Tong will increase by 296, bringing the total from 300 to 596 units.
Currently, the Housing Bureau is assisting owners who have signed and submitted the "Letter of Acceptance" to complete the Agreement for Sale and Purchase and the Assignment procedures. As for Wang Chi House, the Housing Bureau will arrange for owners of Wang Chi House accepting the Government's acquisition to sign the Agreement for Sale and Purchase on or before October 15. When signing the Agreement for Sale and Purchase with Wang Chi House owners, the Government will include a clause stipulating that, if fewer than three-quarters (75 per cent) of owners ultimately sign the Agreement for Sale and Purchase, the Government reserves the right to discontinue the acquisition, since the inclusion of Wang Chi House in the plan is premised on at least three-quarters (75 per cent) of owners wishing to sell.
The 2026-27 Budget has earmarked $4 billion for the acquisition of Blocks A to G of Wang Fuk Court. The estimated total acquisition cost for Wang Chi House is about $1 billion. The Government will seek additional funding approval from the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council.
The Engagement Team co-ordinated by the Housing Bureau will continue to maintain communication with Wang Fuk Court owners. If there are any enquiries, owners may contact their designated Engagement Team member or call the hotline at 2129 8133. Owners may also visit the dedicated website for the long-term housing arrangements for Wang Fuk Court (www.hb.gov.hk/wfc) for further details.
Source: AI-found images
