The government likes to talk about how its initiatives are generating jobs. With a weakening economy, we are likely to see the chief executive talk about what the government will do to boost employment, in his policy address on October 15. Have we done enough to strengthen Hong Kong's human resource capacity?
It seems not. A telling indicator is to see how certain business sectors are developing. For example, for a city that has many property developers and building professionals, how is the human side of this industry evolving? It cannot just be about how many architects and engineers are graduating from our universities every year. For the whole sector to improve, we need to assess how individuals working in the industry are adapting to new ideas, technology and methods in design, construction and management.
Today, computer software can help architects, engineers and contractors integrate their skills to produce three-dimensional images of design and construction details that can make the whole development process much more efficient. The technology can put design and construction plans together so that problems can be identified and solved before the building work begins. It can also show how certain design details and materials can improve the energy efficiency and environmental performance of a building. The software exists; the extent to which it is used depends on the competency of industry professionals up and down the entire chain.
While the clients - developers - need to demand that skills are continuously upgraded to produce a new generation of buildings, the government also plays a vital role in ensuring that education, training and standard-setting policies push people to learn. The administration should ensure that the public sector leads this development evolution. It should not just be about what the final product looks like, but also the process of designing and managing it, so that it becomes a learning experience for the sector. After all, public-sector works should achieve the widest possible benefits for the community.
Unfortunately, the government's behaviour is little different from profit-driven developers; it could spend more time on design to realise the maximum benefits of a new piece of construction. Using government projects to raise the quality of industry practices are seldom part of the objective. When the administration thinks about job-generating initiatives, it usually involves construction employment. The public is told that those who most need jobs are low-skilled workers.
No one seems to ask whether, over the past two decades, Hong Kong has trained a pool of better-skilled people who can use technology and management methods to improve the development process, as well as the final product. Surely, at the end of the development chain, a new generation of construction workers should be computer literate and meticulous in safety procedures, as well as having the know-how to optimise environmental performance.