Under ongoing political repression, Hong Kong’s labour market is undergoing rapid and alarming changes. Young people are voting with their feet, leaving the city in droves overseas, while those who remain are increasingly older workers delaying retirement. Despite a sluggish economic recovery, the workforce continues to shrink. Yet the government’s attempts to address the crisis by importing talent and foreign labour have proven misdirected, failing to stem the talent exodus. As the economy continues to decline, such chaotic and unbalanced manpower strategies risk further inflaming public discontent and deepening social tensions.
Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor releases its 2024 Hong Kong Labour Situation Report, revealing a deepening polarisation in the labour market: the departure of educated young people on one hand, and a surge of elderly workers remaining in employment on the other. Meanwhile, labour importation policies are further deteriorating working conditions for all.
“Hong Kong’s ongoing population outflow is the product of authoritarian governance and a breakdown in public trust,” said Christopher Mung, the Executive Director of Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor. “The government remains wilfully blind, doubling down with Article 23 legislation instead of reassessing course, like plunging a knife into a still-bleeding wound.”
Mung warned that Hong Kong’s employment market is becoming increasingly polarised, with young workers leaving in droves while older citizens compelled to work longer. He called the government’s patchwork talent import strategies ineffective and misdirected, aggravating public discontent and creating the stage for deeper social division.
“With the economy faltering and unemployment creeping upward, these chaotic and imbalanced labour policies are a ticking time bomb,” he added.
Shrinking Labour Force Despite Talent Schemes
The report highlights that Hong Kong’s labour force (excluding foreign domestic workers) continues to shrink. Despite issuing over 300,000 work visas through various talent schemes over the past two years, the workforce had still declined by more than 178,000 people (approximately 4.8%) by the fourth quarter of 2024 compared to 2019. Employment figures fell even more sharply, by 185,000 (around 5.2%).
Two Extremes: Youth Flee, Seniors Stay
The loss of young workers is particularly acute. According to the Census and Statistics Department, from the end of 2018 to the end of 2024, Hong Kong’s overall labour force shrank significantly, with the sharpest declines seen among younger groups (aged 20-29). During this period, around 163,000 individuals in this cohort left Hong Kong in pursuit of opportunities overseas, representing an over 25% drop in the 20-29 age group.• The number of workers aged 20-24 fell by 84,000 (35.4%)• Those aged 25-29 declined by 79,000 (19.7%)This reflects a profound erosion of young people’s confidence in their future in Hong Kong. Amid worsening political conditions since 2020, younger generations have faced limited political freedoms, shrinking economic opportunities, and a bleak outlook, accelerating emigration for work or study overseas.Meanwhile, the number of workers aged 65 and above rose by 85,000 (59.3%) during the same period. Many older citizens are delaying retirement or rejoining the workforce out of financial necessity, highlighting the serious inadequacy of Hong Kong’s retirement protections.This combined dilemma — the outflow of young people and the rise of older workers — poses long-term risks to the city’s productivity, innovation capacity, and economic development.