https://www.scmp.com/rss/525563/feed Terry Lum is Henry G. Leong Professor in Social Work and Social Administration in the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at the University of Hong Kong. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Terry Lum Terry Lum Hong Kong is increasingly being urged to develop a comprehensive population policy. Academics, policymakers and business leaders warn that rapid ageing, low fertility and a shrinking labour force threaten the city’s competitiveness, and call for more decisive government intervention. Most such calls converge around two familiar strategies: encouraging Hong Kong women to have more children and attracting more immigrants. Both approaches assume Hong Kong must resolve its demographic challenges... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3351750/hong-kongs-population-policy-still-trapped-city-state-mindset?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3351750/hong-kongs-population-policy-still-trapped-city-state-mindset?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 May 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Terry Lum Terry Lum In recent years, warnings about Hong Kong’s rapidly ageing population have become increasingly urgent. Long hospital waits, chronic shortages in long-term care and a shrinking working-age population have led many policymakers and researchers to portray ageing as an approaching demographic crisis that a small, densely populated city might be unable to absorb. In some quarters, this has fuelled dire predictions about the sustainability of Hong Kong’s healthcare and social care systems. This... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3350035/hong-kong-ageing-real-question-where-people-age?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3350035/hong-kong-ageing-real-question-where-people-age?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 21:30:09 +0000