8. Comment on the trend and the size of poverty in Hong Kong society. To what extent do you consider the present Social Security system would be effective to alleviate poverty in Hong Kong?

Introduction In such a cosmopolitan city as Hong Kong, it is not uncommon to see a number of affluent parents spending a large sum of money on their children, ranging from joining calligraphic class to extra physics tutorial lessons, and from buying the most updated mobile phones for them to sending them to overseas schools. This practice is even becoming increasingly popular due to the economic boom in recent years. By contrast, despite the seemingly prosperity of this city, there still exists a number of people living in destitute, with many …show more content…

The third sub-group is those new arrivals of working age who only succeed in securing elementary occupations (Ibid). Due to inadequate education and training, they could only engage in industries like manufacturing and construction which barely help them to make a minimal living. ➢ Unemployment/ low-income working force The unemployment rate in Hong Kong has risen from 1.3 in 1990 to 4.9 in 2000 (Tsoi, 2002). The possible reason is that due to Asian financial crisis, employers choose to employ fewer workers. Besides, the transformation of Hong Kong economy from a manufacturing economy to a service economy has made many people working in manufacturing industry shift to low paid jobs due to their limited education and skills. Some of them even become unemployed eventually.
Definition of Social Security Social Security is a societal and collective measure to provide income support or financial support to people who are confronted with risks and contingency of life such as sickness, death, retirement, unemployment, accidents and disability (Tsoi, 2002). Its aims are basically to relieve poverty, meet people’s basic needs and get people to work (Ibid.).
Social Security systems in Hong Kong After knowing the seriousness of the poverty problem in Hong Kong and its factors, it is of paramount importance to see if the current social security strategies adopted in Hong Kong are adequate enough to address the