Hong Kong could face shortage in number of graduates entering job market in years ahead, warns labour minister, after birth rates drop 13 per cent

Hong Kong could face a shortage of graduates entering the workforce by 2042 the labour minister said on Sunday, noting a significant 13 per cent drop in the number of children being born in the city.

Demand for child care and preschool services was expected to decline, and could lead to major challenges in the year ahead, said Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong in his weekly blog.

The number of births in Hong Kong dropped from 61,290 in 2014 to 53,168 in 2019, and over the first 11 months of last year, the city recorded a 17 per cent year-on-year decline.

“This is obviously due to the social unrest in the lower half of 2019, resulting in a huge drop in the number of newborns nine months later,” Law said.