Xinhua News Agency, Hong Kong, April 20: Question: Hong Kong's unemployment rate climbs for more than nine years
Xinhua News Agency reporter Fang Dong Zhang Yashi Zhu Yuxuan
"Originally, I thought the violence had subsided a little and there would be more business after the Spring Festival. Who knows, the outbreak of the new pneumonia pneumonia outbreak and many tour guides were not working. Since the Spring Festival, I have only worked for 3 days and only have two or three guests a day. "Mr. Tang, the tour guide, said that while incomes were greatly reduced, daily expenses such as rents were the same, and life was stretched. Recently, Mr. Tang ’s son who works at the airport has also become a member of the unemployed army.
The situation of Mr. Tang's family is not a case. Under the impact of the epidemic, the operation of various industries in Hong Kong is becoming increasingly difficult, and many residents are in a dilemma.
According to statistics released by the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on the 20th, the unemployment rate in Hong Kong from January to March this year rose from 3.7% in the previous period to 4.2%, a new 9-year high; the underemployment rate also rose from 1.5% to 2.1%, as The highest position in the past 10 years. Both the total number of employed people and the labor force have recorded the largest decline since record.
Luo Zhiguang, Secretary of the Labor and Welfare Bureau of the SAR Government, said that the labor market has further deteriorated because the epidemic has severely interfered with many economic activities. The total unemployment rate in the consumer and travel-related industries, including retail, accommodation and food service industries, has soared to 6.8%, of which the catering industry unemployment rate has risen to 8.6%, the situation is particularly severe. In addition, the unemployment rate in the construction industry also reached a high of 8.5%.
Last year, Hong Kong ’s economy suffered a double blow from violence and the global economic downturn, and it has not yet recovered. Since the beginning of the year, the epidemic has worsened the local companies that are struggling to support them. They have to cut costs through layoffs and salary cuts in order to survive the economic winter.
According to a survey conducted by the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, from February to May, there may be more than 10,000 retail employees unemployed in Hong Kong. About 15,000 retail stores will be closed by the end of this year. The number of closed stores is equivalent to the current number of stores in Hong Kong. One quarter.
According to a survey conducted by the Hong Kong Federation of Insurance Industry, about 20% of the respondents in the insurance industry had zero income during the epidemic, and nearly one-third of the respondents' income declined by 60% to 80%.
In response to the severe challenges brought about by the epidemic, the SAR Government has recently announced relief measures of up to HK $ 137.5 billion, which were approved by the Finance Committee of the SAR Legislative Council. Among them, 81 billion Hong Kong dollars is used for the "employment protection" program to provide wage subsidies to qualified employers to avoid layoffs. The SAR Government will also spend HK $ 6 billion in the next two years to create about 30,000 time-limited jobs, covering people with different skills and academic qualifications, including experienced professionals and fresh graduates.
Chen Maobo, the Financial Secretary of the SAR Government, said that in the latest measures, it is estimated that the expenditure related to job security will benefit more than 2 million Hong Kong residents in total. According to the Labor and Welfare Bureau, wage subsidies will be paid to employers in installments, and the first installment will be paid no later than June this year.
According to the government support plan, about 26,000 people in the tourism industry, including Mr. Tang, can receive a monthly subsidy of HK $ 5,000 per month for 6 months. "Financial support launched by the SAR Government is timely rain. Although it does not completely solve the livelihood problem, it can at least help make up for the urgent need." Mr. Tang said.
"The second round of anti-epidemic and anti-epidemic funds may not be the most comprehensive, but in any case, it will definitely alleviate the rate and extent of the rise in unemployment rate. We hope to help keep the wages of wage earners, companies and Hong Kong as much as possible. Economic vitality. "Chen Maobo said.
All sectors of Hong Kong society affirmed a series of measures taken by the SAR Government to protect people's livelihood, and looked forward to the relevant subsidies to come to an early stage. Xie Qiu Anyi, chairman of the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, pointed out that the association ’s member companies have generally positive views on the government ’s latest anti-epidemic measures, and believe that the measures can help stores that were originally intended to close continue to operate, and are expected to slow down the rise in the unemployment rate in the retail industry.
"Providing wage subsidies and setting up temporary positions is a timely and effective counter-cyclical measure. If it can be implemented as soon as possible, I believe it can solve the urgent needs of migrant workers." Hong Kong economist and director of the Silk Road Zhigu Research Institute, Liang Haiming said that if the economy continues Deteriorating, it is recommended that the SAR Government create new jobs in a wider area of people's livelihood, and specifically introduce measures to support the employment of fresh graduates, as well as funding for training institutions to provide training for the unemployed.
The increase in confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia in Hong Kong has begun to slow. After maintaining single-digit growth for many days, no new confirmed cases were found in Hong Kong on April 20. However, experts pointed out that the prevention and control of the epidemic should not be careless. Only if there are no newly diagnosed cases within two incubation periods, that is, within 28 days, can the epidemic be controlled. And the unemployment rate lags behind the economic indicators, and the upward trend in the short term remains difficult to reverse.
The unemployment rate in Hong Kong exceeded 8% during the "SARS" period in 2003. Later, the economy of the Mainland was rapidly restored by the consumption of tourists from the Mainland. Chen Maobo believes that after the epidemic, Hong Kong will face a more difficult economic situation than it was at that time. Hong Kong society needs to work together to maintain social stability and create a good environment for economic recovery, otherwise it will do less with less.
"Hong Kong should firmly grasp the opportunities for the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Belt and Road Initiative, and more linkages with the construction of surrounding areas such as the Hainan Free Trade Zone (Hong Kong), so as to further integrate into the national development strategy and help its own Economic recovery and development. "Liang Haiming said.