Surveyors with different areas of specialisation will have a greater chance of getting hired by the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) in the next few years as it prepares to renovate dilapidated buildings.
Those experienced in building surveying, quantity surveying or estate surveying will be in demand, according to Jeannie Fong Ching-yee, the authority's general manager of human resources and administration. Rehabilitation will become a bigger trend in the next few years, as people pay more attention to building safety, she says. They want to maintain their buildings to avoid major repairs later on.
'We will need surveyors and as we continue to grow, we will also bring in more support staff. When I joined four years ago, there were 250 staff but now we have more than 420,' Fong says.
There are about 4,000 buildings that are 50 years old or more in Hong Kong. Over the next decade, 500 a year will be added to the list.
In his policy address last year, Chief Executive Tsang Yam-kuen named rehabilitation and redevelopment as the authority's core business areas in the future. URA will serve as an 'implementer' or 'facilitator' in future redevelopment projects. It has received rehabilitation applications from more than 800 buildings since last year's policy address, Fong adds.
The government's Urban Renewal Strategy document calls for a comprehensive and holistic approach to rejuvenating older urban areas through redevelopment, rehabilitation, revitalisation and heritage preservation.
Since its board members are appointed by the chief executive, URA is obliged to be accountable and responsive to the needs of the community. It is also expected to work together with stakeholders and participants including government bureaus and departments, relevant district councils, the Hong Kong Housing Society, property owners, developers, individual owners, professionals, and non-governmental organisations.