Tuesday, December 08, 2015
Academics have accused the government of coming up with inaccurate estimates of the working population.
They told the subcommittee on retirement protection at the Legislative Council that the faulty estimates are either due to the government not implementing its population policy or that policy not being effective.
Wong Hung, associate professor in social work at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said academics could not accept the assumption that there will be a substantial decline in the labor force.
"The change of population policy will also change the labor force, like if the fertility rate is higher and the nursing care is better," Wong said yesterday.
As a result, the aging population should stabilize after reaching a peak.
Wong said a proposal forwarded by the academics aims to provide a better understanding of the issues involved before any discussions begin, but they are yet to receive a reply from the administration.
Wong said if the proposal is not included in a government consultation document, they will interpret it as meaning they are not party to any talks.
Others said retirement protection is a right for the elderly and should not been seen as a poverty alleviation measure.
Experts in economics are concerned about the financial implications involved.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung disagreed with suggestions that the government has exaggerated the problem of an aging population, and said it has used a 50-year forecast.
Cheung said the Commission on Poverty is working on a consultative document for retirement protection.
YUPINA NG
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=4&art_id=164004&sid=45711258&con_type=1&d_str=20151208&fc=2
