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LettersRemember struggling youth when touting Hong Kong’s bright future
- Readers discuss the career prospects of Hong Kong youth, the unintended effects of pandemic policies, new rules for arrivals and the consumption voucher scheme
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The long-awaited relaxation of quarantine for inbound travellers provided a much-needed boost to morale when announced early last week, but the announcement a few days later of a gloomy forecast for GDP growth for 2022 was something of a downer.
During the July 1 celebrations, much was said about the importance of providing opportunities for the youth of Hong Kong. To quote from President Xi Jinping’s July 1 speech, Hong Kong will “have a bright future only when its young people have good career prospects”.
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So we should give some thought to the thousands of school and university leavers who will be entering the job market, not to mention those who faced the same challenges in 2021 and even 2020. Where are their “good career prospects” going to come from in our current economic environment?
Since the start of the pandemic, we have been exhorted to protect the vulnerable, elderly and children, and we have all done our part getting vaccinated and obeying the restrictions imposed upon us. But with the economy now in a downturn and Hong Kong still far short of any kind of normal life, how much thought has been given to the future of our youth?
The words “Stability, Prosperity, Opportunity”, the theme of this year’s 25th anniversary celebrations, are displayed all over Hong Kong. I wonder what an unemployed school leaver or university graduate feels when they see this as they struggle to find meaningful employment in a slowing economy.
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