TNAG-0795-FCO40-999-Policy-of-Government-of-Hong-Kong-on-education-1978 — Page 132

5.8

A consideration of the likely job prospects

facing the increased numbers who will graduate from tertiary education is important because it may be a cause of social discontent if substantial numbers of young people are unable to find the kind of work that they believed they would obtain by making the sacrifice of immediate earnings in order to improve their educational qualifications. Students' expectations about the employment prospects they will enjoy after graduating from tertiary education may be based on the experience of present graduates, but if the output from tertiary education increases more rapidly than does the growth of highly-skilled jobs in the economy, these prospects may deteriorate. It would be undesirable if an over-supply of graduates were to lead to tertiary education becoming a hurdle that young people must overcome before they have the prospect of gaining entry to jobs that can be performed satisfactorily by less highly-educated people.

5.9

Using data derived from the 1976 by-census return to analyse the functional level of the full range of occupations, it was found that only about 3% of the working population was employed at a level of skill deemed to be equivalent to that of a technologist; a further 9% was employed in technician jobs or equivalent and a further 26% in craft jobs or equivalent. The remaining 62% were employed in operative or unskilled jobs. Accordingly, the proportion of highly-skilled jobs in the economy will have to increase very greatly if most of those who will have taken their education beyond the Form V level in the 1980's are to be able to find appropriate employment. The various manpower surveys conducted under the auspices of the Hong Kong Training Council, which have so far been confined to the technically- based industries, have pointed to a danger that the output of technicians and techologists may in most sectors exceed the available employment opportunities. However, the Government considers that its efforts to attract new technologically-based industries will lead to growth in the availability of skilled jobs. Most advanced economies, such as the United States, Australia and Great Britain employ much higher proportions of technologists and technicians than does Hong Kong, and as the Hong Kong economy becomes more technologically-sophisticated greater emphasis may be placed on high-level manpower.

The Government has noted, moreover, that graduates from the universities and post- secondary colleges in the 20-29 year old age range have markedly better earnings than those of their contemporaries

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