TENS of thousands of watchmen, many of them elderly, could be out of a job when proposed controls over the security industry come into force in 1995.
While government officials refused to say how many caretakers and doormen would be affected, a South China Morning Post inquiry reveals the the draft Security and Guarding Services Bill will have wide-reaching ramifications among those doing lower level security work at housing estate and industrial buildings.
Any job that involves guarding a property or watching people go in and out of a building falls into the definition of security work covered by the bill.
These workers will have to apply for a permit, and companies providing their services will have to seek a licence to operate.
Although the Government says criteria for issuing licences will be worked out by the future Security and Guarding Services Industry Authority, elderly security guards are likely to be cut out by age limitations and health requirements.
The average age of Hong Kong's 130,000 registered watchmen, supplied by 100 different security companies, is between 50 and 60.