Hong Kong News
Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Tuesday, Dec 31, 2024
Real, Diverse, Unbiased.
Study reveals 40pc of youngsters consider themselves poor
A study conducted by Lingnan University has found that about 40 percent of the interviewees described themselves as living in poverty, and most young people working full-time indicated that the statutory minimum wage is too low and they do not benefit from it.
The study, jointly conducted by the university’s Institute of Policy Studies and the Centre for Cultural Research and Development, conducted interviews from May to December 2022 with 67 young people aged 18 to 29, and also surveyed around 400 young people.
The survey results show that the average monthly living expenses of young people are HK$16,789. After deducting the cost of education, their average monthly expenditure is HK$14,894.
The research team said in order for young people to maintain their current expenditures, the hourly wage should be increased to HK$71.60, which is still far reach when compared with the current minimum wage.
The research team suggested that the government should adopt a multi-pronged approach to address this pressing issue.
They include a comprehensive review of the policy positioning and operation of the statutory minimum wage, which should be repositioned with other poverty alleviation policies aiming at various target groups, while the review should be conducted annually.
Meanwhile, the government should restart the legislation process for standard working hours, with the standard working hours set at 40 hours per week, while overtime wages should be 1.5 times normal wages.
The survey results show that the average monthly living expenses of young people are HK$16,789. After deducting the cost of education, their average monthly expenditure is HK$14,894.
The research team said in order for young people to maintain their current expenditures, the hourly wage should be increased to HK$71.60, which is still far reach when compared with the current minimum wage.
The research team suggested that the government should adopt a multi-pronged approach to address this pressing issue.
They include a comprehensive review of the policy positioning and operation of the statutory minimum wage, which should be repositioned with other poverty alleviation policies aiming at various target groups, while the review should be conducted annually.
Meanwhile, the government should restart the legislation process for standard working hours, with the standard working hours set at 40 hours per week, while overtime wages should be 1.5 times normal wages.
