Around 100,000 People Applied For Jobless Subsidy

The government on Thursday said almost 100,000 people have signed up for its unemployment subsidy, just one day after applications opened.

Speaking on a radio show, Doris Ho from the Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office said the figure shows there’s a high demand for the HK$10,000 handout scheme, and that the assistance has been rolled out in a timely manner to help those who’ve lost work amid the latest Covid outbreak.

Some applicants have also said the online application is convenient and takes only around 10 minutes to complete, Ho added.

The official pointed out that the five service centres around town have helped around one thousand people with their applications on Wednesday.

She urged the public to make bookings before heading to the centres in North Point, Mong Kok, Kwun Tong, Tai Po and Yuen Long, so that authorities can increase manpower and extend their working hours if necessary.

Ho also reiterated that the government will take a lenient approach when processing the applications to help as many people as possible

But she stressed applicants have to be truthful when providing their information.

The application period for the cash assistance will last for three weeks until April 12.