Public consultation on ageing population slammed by experts
5-point plan to solve workforce crisis criticised as too vague, with one academic dismissing consultation as a 'failure' just as it is launched
A proposed five-pronged approach to managing challenges arising from Hong Kong's ageing population came under fire yesterday for being too vague, as a public consultation to look for solutions began.
Ideas include ways to tap into the inactive population such as housewives and retirees to encourage them to return to the workplace.
But a veteran academic and lawmakers gave a thumbs-down to the report, noting that it posed open questions for the public without giving any concrete proposals.
They also asked whether the government was attempting to avoid incurring public anger by not suggesting any controversial ideas.
Professor Nelson Chow Wing-sun of the University of Hong Kong, who is leading a study on pension schemes, described the exercise as a "failure" even as it had only just started.