2013-02-26    Hong Kong needs more workers

A recent Ming Pao editorial said how Hong Kong needs more workers to meet the requirements of an expanding construction industry which is growing as a result of projects like the Home Ownership Scheme and new MTR lines.

As well as calling for more local people, especially young people, to join the construction industry, the editorial also raised the possibility of having workers from other places come to Hong Kong, as was done for the construction of Chek Lap Kok Airport.

Maybe another possibility is to use some of the several thousand refugees who live in Hong Kong. Many of them have been here for a number of years and can speak Cantonese, which is quite an advantage. They could be given temporary work visas as was done for the airport workers, so that their employment would not attract more refugees to Hong Kong.

Smile: many years ago I met a group of overseas workers who were engaged on the new airport site. They were from all over the world, mainly from British Commonwealth countries, and were talking about cricket. One of them, from South Africa, at one stage said "I'm not racist. I don't care who beats the Poms"!