11
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1994
APART FROM THE CONSTRAINTS ON ECONOMIC GROWTH CAUSED BY THE CHRONIC LABOUR SHORTAGE, WHICH IS RIGHTLY ACKNOWLEDGED, MANY ECONOMISTS BELIEVE THAT THE ACUTE LABOUR SHORTAGE IS A PRIMARY CAUSE BOTH DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY OF INFLATION. THESE ARE NOT MY WORDS, I HAVE BEEN ASKED TO SAY THESE THINGS, BUT NOW I WILL ADD A FEW THINGS.
GOVERNOR:
QUESTION:
I KNOW THE FEELING I QUITE OFTEN HAVE IT.
I WISH WE COULD PLAY SOME MUSIC TOGETHER THEN!
- -
LATEST
KONG. WHICH
YOU DO ALLOW, GOVERNOR, TO LET AND BY NOW THE FIGURE Is 110,000 - FILIPINA DOMESTIC SERVANTS TO COME TO HONG ON THE OTHER HAND YOU DO RESTRICT ONLY 32,000 FOREIGN WORKERS, IS ABOUT ONE PER CENT OF THE WORKFORCE, TO COME HERE. THIS BARELY SCRATCHES THE SURFACE OF THE PROBLEM. THE GOVERNMENT'S *JOB RETRAINING SCHEME' HAS RETRAINED, INDEED, 30,000
30,000 WORKERS BUT THE CHAMBER FEELS, UNFORTUNATELY, THAT THE JOB SUCCESS RATE IS STILL PRETTY LOW.
ONE SUGGESTION, SIR, IF I MAY: WE DO NOT ALWAYS
WANT FOR
TO LISTEN TO WHAT SINGAPORE HAS TO TELL US, BUT MAYBE HERE IS ONE YOU TO CONSIDER. WHY WILL NOT THE GOVERNMENT AGREE TO LOOK AT A SCHEME SIMILAR TO THE MARKET ORIENTATED SINGAPOREAN LABOUR IMPORT SCHEME AS PROBABLY THE MOST EFFECTIVE MEANS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE OF REDUCING CONSTRAINTS ON ECONOMIC GROWTH AND INFLATION? FOR YOUR INFORMATION, ON
COMPARATIVE BASIS, SINGAPORE IMPORTS RIGHT NOW APPROXIMATELY 250,000 WORKERS. IF YOU WOULD MULTIPLY HONG KONG'S LARGER POPULATION BY THAT, THEN UNDER THE SAME SCHEME HONG KONG WOULD BE ABLE TO IMPORT ABOUT 575,000.
I'M SORRY, GOVERNOR, FOR THE LENGTHINESS OF QUESTION, BUT YOU KNOW MUSICIANS, IF THEY ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH RATHER TALK THAN PLAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
MY
THEY
GOVERNOR:
THANKS VERY MUCH. CAN I SAY A COUPLE OF THINGS ABOUT LABOUR SHORTAGE BUT FIRST OF ALL, IN ORDER TO JUST OFFER A LITTLE CONTROVERSIAL INTRODUCTION, SAY THAT I AM GLAD YOU MENTIONED THOSE FILIPINA WORKERS BECAUSE I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THEM A BIT RECENTLY. THEY DO MAKE A CONSIDERABLE CONTRIBUTION TO OUR COMMUNITY AND I DO SOMETIMES WONDER WHY THOSE WHO ARE PERFECTLY HAPPY TO LET FILIPINOS LOOK AFTER THEIR CHILDREN SEEM MORE RELUCTANT TO WORK TO PROVIDE SOMEWHERE FOR THEM TO GO ON THEIR DAYS OFF. I THINK THAT WE SHOULD BE LOOKING MORE IMAGINATIVELY AS A COMMUNITY, WHICH WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO DO IN GOVERNMENT, TO FIND THEM FACILITIES ON SUNDAYS AND OTHER PUBLIC HOLIDAYS.
/HONG KONG,