Government urged to offer more child care services
Government and companies must act so women can rejoin workforce to help ageing population
The government has been urged to offer more childcare services so mothers can rejoin the workforce, alleviating staff shortages in different industries.
The calls were made at RTHK's City Forum yesterday, a few days after the government launched a public consultation to tackle challenges arising from the city's ageing population.
Federation of Trade Unions lawmaker Chan Yuen-han said many mothers wanted to return to the workforce, but were unable to do so because they could not find suitable childcare centres.
"Another important thing is that they want to leave work on time to take care of their children. If they cannot leave on time, they would rather quit their jobs," Chan said, explaining the need to legislate standard working hours.
Chan Wai-tak, who is in charge of a Tai Wo centre run by the Hong Kong Federation of Women's Centres, said mothers often needed to wait for six months to a year for a space in a childcare centre.
"Sometimes the wait can be up to three years. This is really horrible," she said.