An alarm bell over Hong Kong’s job market

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On Monday, I attended a seminar on importing talent that was jointly organised by the Labour and Welfare Bureau and the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management. From conversations I had with these HR professionals, it is very clear to me that employers are just unable to find local talent who match their business needs.

Speaking as an educator, this is seriously alarming. If employers are having to look elsewhere for talent, it means that local universities are not producing the kind of graduates who meet the needs of businesses, and that local vocational institutions are not retraining the workforce correctly.

If we look deeper, Hong Kong’s workforce participation rate for the population over the age of 15 is 59 per cent, according to the World Bank. This figure is quite low, compared to those of other Asian economies, such as Singapore (71 per cent), Malaysia (65 per cent), Thailand (67 per cent), Macau (69 per cent) and mainland China (67 per cent). Even Japan’s figure (62 per cent) is higher than Hong Kong’s.

It appears there is a significant portion of our population not even joining the workforce. Of course, some of these people may have achieved financial independence, yet others may have already given up seeking employment.

The Labour Bureau announced that in just two months, close to 10,000 had successfully applied to relocate to Hong Kong via the Top Talent Pass Scheme. They may fill jobs that could be done by Hongkongers if they had the right skills and relevant experience.

During the seminar on Monday, the presentations by the Labour Bureau gave me the impression that programmes such as the Top Talent Pass Scheme are just a short-term fix. Businesses prefer local candidates if they are available. Hence, it’s vitally important to forecast the future of work, and find out what kind of skills employers will need, as well as what kind of graduates they will want to hire in a few years’ time.

Roy Ying, senior lecturer, School of Business, Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

Let DSE candidates choose to wear masks or not

I am writing to express my concerns over the mask requirement for the 2023 Diploma of Secondary Education exams. As a DSE candidate, I find it unbelievable that masks will still be mandatory.

It has been tough communicating at school with a mask on over the past few years. According to a study by researchers at McGill University in Montreal, masks make communication with others harder, as they reduce the overall accuracy of facial expression recognition by about 24 per cent. Being able to see facial expressions is crucial to human communication. Besides, masks muffle voices. Consequently, I am reluctant to cover my face when I am speaking. Moreover, several of my classmates are worried that their performance will be affected when their points and ideas cannot be clearly delivered.

More than a week ago, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced that the mask-wearing requirement would be lifted in March. He said Hong Kong had built a wide immunity barrier, and the decision to scrap the mask mandate would be a “very clear message” to the world that Hong Kong is resuming normalcy. And yet, the exam authority is still enforcing anti-pandemic measures at the 2023 DSE exams.

It is ironic that masks are required in a spacious examination hall with everyone sitting 1m apart from each other while people are allowed to be unmasked on public transport, with hundreds of passengers standing and sitting cheek by jowl.

To minimise the inconvenience caused to DSE candidates, I sincerely hope the exam authority will reconsider the decision to reintroduce Covid-19 restrictions. The city, the country and the world have said goodbye to Covid-19, and the DSE mask mandate is backward-looking. I would be grateful if candidates had the right to choose whether to wear a mask at the upcoming exams.

Anson Chau, Stanley

Lifting the mask mandate for kids, with compassion

We refer to “Hong Kong schools welcome lifting of mask mandate, but warn it could take time for young pupils to adjust” (February 28).

While the lifting of the mask mandate is a welcome development, we must remember that the decision to wear a mask is personal and subject to feelings and needs. As such, it is important that we give teachers and students the time and space they need to make this decision for themselves.

The pandemic has been stressful and turbulent for everyone, and we would like to stress the importance of focusing on students’ mental health, not just their academic progress.

Through the Mental Health@ School website, the Education Bureau has issued advice to schools and parents on new mask-wearing arrangements. We appreciate these resources and encourage schools and parents to utilise them.

Compassionate communication can help us navigate complex issues. At its core, it is about understanding and respecting feelings and needs. Through workshops and group training, parents and teachers could learn to start conversations and normalise students’ negative feelings.

You might be surprised by the effect of making a habit of checking in daily with ourselves and our children. Through open and honest conversations, we may empathise with each other, thus creating a compassionate school culture for teachers, parents and students.

Raymond Yang Sze-ngai, co-founder and executive director, Just Feel