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Hong Kong signs Working Holiday Scheme with Austria

Xinhua, January 12, 2015 Adjust font size:

Hong Kong and Austria signed a Declaration of Intent here on Monday to mark the establishment of a bilateral Working Holiday Scheme for young people of the two economies from March 2, 2015.

The Declaration was signed by the Secretary for Labor and Welfare Matthew Cheung, and the Consul General of Austria to Hong Kong and Macao Claudia Reinprecht.

Under the Declaration, 100 participants from each side will be allowed to stay for up to six months in Austria or Hong Kong each year for holidaying and taking up short-term employment to finance their stay.

Cheung said the scheme provides an opportunity for young people in Hong Kong and Austria to broaden their horizons and to gain living and working experience in a foreign culture, adding that it would further reinforce the long-standing ties between Hong Kong and Austria.

The scheme with Austria is the 10th bilateral working holiday scheme that Hong Kong has set up since 2001, with the other economies being New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Japan, Canada, South Korea, France and the United Kingdom.

So far, more than 46,000 Hong Kong youths have benefited from the schemes. Endi