Job Seekers' Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the eligibility criteria of job seekers for joining the Employment Programme for the Elderly and Middle-aged (EPEM), and how to enroll?

   Job seekers must be aged 40 or above at the time of employment and have an unemployment period of not less than 1 month within 1 year prior to the commencement date of employment. Please refer to the section of "Job Seekers: Application Guides".

2. What will job seekers benefit from EPEM?

   EPEM aims at encouraging employers to engage eligible job seekers aged 40 or above in full-time or part-time (i.e. working 18 hours to less than 30 hours per week) long-term jobs and provide them with on-the-job training recognised by the Labour Department. This enables elderly and middle-aged job seekers to adapt to the new work environment and acquire essential job-specific skills.

3. How to calculate 'having an unemployment period of not less than 1 month within 1 year prior to the commencement date of employment'?

   It means that the job seekers have an unemployment period of not less than 1 month within 1 year prior to the commencement date of employment, but a consecutive unemployment period for 1 month is not required.

4. Do job seekers need to produce any documents to prove the unemployment period within the past 1 year?

   The placed job seekers have to declare that they have an unemployment period of not less than 1 month within 1 year prior to the commencement date of employment, and sign on the "Preliminary Application Form for On-the-Job Training" as confirmation when the employers make an application under EPEM.

5. Under EPEM, do job seekers need to be engaged in certain industries or occupations?

   There is no restriction on industries or occupations under EPEM, but the job vacancies have to be full-time or part-time (i.e. working 18 hours to less than 30 hours per week) long-term posts registered at the Labour Department (LD). Employers should first register their job vacancies with LD and indicate that they welcome applications from elderly and middle-aged job seekers to facilitate the job seekers to browse and apply for the jobs. Job seekers obtain relevant vacancy information through LD or other recruitment channels and then proceed to applications through referrals of LD or directly to the employers, depending on the job application method selected by the employers.

   Please click here to browse information on latest job vacancies of EPEM.

6. What are the characteristics of on-the-job training (OJT) provided by employers? How can job seekers benefit from the training?

   Under EPEM, employers have to provide OJT to the job seekers placed during the OJT period approved by the Labour Department, and assign an experienced staff as their mentor. The provision of OJT enables the newly hired elderly or middle-aged employees to adapt to the new work environment and acquire the essential job-specific skills.

   OJT can be formulated by employers based on the company's business nature, job seekers' qualifications and job requirements, etc. However, the content of training must at least include the following items: assignment of a mentor, nature of business and company structure, human resources policy, product and service knowledge, roles and duties of staff, work knowledge, workflow and job-related skills and procedures.

7. Can job seekers who intend to join EPEM use other employment services of the Labour Department at the same time?

   Yes.

8. Will employers continue to employ the job seekers concerned after the completion of the OJT?

   We encourage employers to continue hiring the job seekers concerned after the completion of OJT. At the same time, the Labour Department will monitor each application for training allowance to ensure that the employers are in compliance with the requirements under EPEM.

9. Do job seekers need to sign any documents under EPEM after they are employed?

   Participating employers have to submit a "Preliminary Application Form for On-the-Job Training" under EPEM. To apply for longer OJT period for a maximum of 6 months for employees aged 40 to 59 and 12 months for employees aged 60 or above, employers have to submit a "Training Plan" as well. Upon completion of OJT, employers have to submit an "On-the-job Training Allowance Claim Form". The employees concerned have to sign on these documents as confirmation, and copies of the signed documents will be provided to them for reference.

10. What else should job seekers be aware of?

    The employer and the employee shall provide true and accurate information. Provision of false or erroneous information for obtaining or intending to obtain any allowance under EPEM is liable to an offence. The Labour Department may refer the cases to other divisions of this Department and/or other government departments/statutory bodies for follow-up.

For enquiries, please contact EPEM Hotline : 2150 6398 or email to epem_enq@labour.gov.hk.