Strangely, HK has never got to do much about its country for a
century because of being the China gateway. With China slow
down, HK govt also begin to feel the heat to do something for its
country. Please see its approach to the problem is similar to
our govt:
Hong Kong workers may
need to retire later and universities should admit more overseas
students as the city’s workforce contracts after 2020, the
government said in a report.
The government should review whether facilities for expatriate
workers such as international school places are sufficient,
according to the report released by the Steering Committee on
Population Policy yesterday. Local women should be encouraged to
give birth, the task force said.
A failure to reverse the potential decline in the size of the
workforce will limit future economic growth, according to the
report. Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China that
runs its own domestic policy, faces competition from Asian cities
including Tokyo and Singapore in
attracting skilled workers and executives.
The possible decline in the working population may “reduce the
standard of living, weaken competitiveness and undermine the
economic vitality of Hong Kong society,” the working group said in
the report.
Hong Kong’s workforce will shrink to 3.49 million in 2029 from a
projected 3.58 million in 2020, according to the report. The aging
population will exert an increasing burden on workers, the
committee said.
In a survey of American Chamber of Commerce members in May 2011,
63 percent said some executives are driven away by the lack of
student places.
To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Lee in Hong Kong
at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Tighe
at [email protected];
