Hong Kong last year suffered the biggest drop in its working population since records began almost four decades ago, losing more than 94,000 employees, according to official statistics.

The downward trend has continued since 2019, when the city was hit by social unrest, with 220,500 workers in total leaving the labour market over the past four years.

Experts warned that the decline, caused by an increase in the number of people retiring and a wave of emigration, would continue for one to two years. They urged the government to extend the retirement age and formulate other policies to release more people into the workforce.