Hong Kong youth need more targeted training and job opportunities

Hong Kong authorities sought to play down the problem when the issue was raised during the weekly question time in the Legislative Council. Citing no fewer than 160 “specific actions and measures” in the Youth Development Blueprint in 2022 and subsequently an additional 130 initiatives to address the evolving needs of young people, officials argued that the local NEET rate among youth had always hovered around 6 to 7 per cent, even in years with robust economic growth. Local youth generally require a longer time to explore their career directions and secure suitable employment, officials say.

It remains unclear whether changing social circumstances have made more individuals idle, but the situation needs to be addressed with a greater sense of urgency before it aggravates further. To keep abreast of the impacts of AI on various sectors and the overall market, the Labour and Welfare Bureau is carrying out a comprehensive analysis. Its findings will be incorporated into the midterm update of the Manpower Projections, which will be released in the fourth quarter of 2026. Hopefully, more targeted policies will be in place.

For many young people, the issue is not simply an unwillingness to work but a mismatch between their skills and the jobs available. At stake is not just a generation at risk of drifting away from opportunity but also an economy failing to fully harness its human capital.