LettersAs coronavirus wipes out Hong Kong tourism and hotels sector, where do young graduates turn?

Government-led job creation efforts focus mainly on fields such as engineering, technology and health care. But what about graduates not equipped with these skills?

3-MIN READ3-MIN

Storm clouds gather above the Hong Kong skyline, as seen from a deserted Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront promenade on August 18. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 7:40am, 30 Aug 2020Updated: 7:40am, 30 Aug 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has in recent months upended the employment landscape, leaving many youngsters feeling hopeless about career prospects. The youth unemployment rate has shot up to 10.4 per cent, while the overall rate is at a 15-year high of 6.2 per cent.

The government pledged in April to create 30,000 vacancies to boost job opportunities, and in June added another 5,000 or so. Sadly, most of them focused on engineering, medical, finance or technological sectors, in which specialised expertise is required. Fresh graduates without hi-tech professional qualifications would be left out of the initiative.

Before the pandemic and last year’s protests, the tourism and hospitality industry was thriving, and the city was living up to its name as a vibrant regional hub. With the surging tourist arrivals coupled with the Greater Bay Area blueprint, ambitious youngsters saw Hong Kong’s hospitality sector as a promising gateway to social mobility. Unfortunately, the virus has not only cast a deep gloom over the sector’s development, but also left well-trained graduates struggling to find other jobs.

As a hotel and tourism management undergraduate, I fear being wiped out in a changing labour market where health care and technological expertise hold sway, while the services lag behind. The relevant authorities should find a way to equip youngsters with added-value skills so they can compete better in the increasingly “smart” market in the post-pandemic era.

Gary Lam, Sheung Shui

Take heart Hong Kong, this too shall pass

Does anyone still remember Hong Kong as the Pearl of the Orient? Its energy, creativity, world-class infrastructure, financial opportunities, east-meets-west culture, delicious cuisine and geographical advantage were once admired around the world.

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Government-led job creation efforts focus mainly on fields such as engineering, technology and health care. But what about graduates not equipped with these skills?

Government-led job creation efforts focus mainly on fields such as engineering, technology and health care. But what about graduates not equipped with these skills?