In 2020, Hong Kong's elderly population will reach 1.3 million, of which 45%, or more than 580,000, are classified as poor elderly, that is, nearly one in two elderly people live in poverty.
It is not easy to show up in Hong Kong to enjoy your old age.
A 65-year-old old man has to take care of his elderly mother. His savings and the OALA of several thousand dollars a month are not enough to cover his living expenses and his mother's medical and caring expenses. He has to continue working part-time. The restaurant washes the dishes and fails to enjoy his old age.
A representative of an organization concerned about the poverty of the elderly pointed out that it is common in the community for the elderly to continue to work after reaching the retirement age.
Many elderly people with MPF and savings are always worried that they will not work and have no income, so they have to continue to work.
The agency pointed out that the government may have a lot of considerations, but helping this group of seniors is "too much discussion for a day", urging the government to increase the amount of the old age living allowance and relax the threshold of working family allowance, so that They have an extra income.
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The old man worked as a dishwasher to cope with the expenses of two mothers and sons, and asked for help
Huang Shuohong, director of Oxfam Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan projects, mentioned that he met a 65-year-old man who had to take care of his elderly mother. The savings and the monthly old age living allowance of thousands of yuan were not enough to cover the living expenses. medical and nursing expenses.
He still has to do part-time jobs, wash dishes in restaurants, and earn extra income, but he also has to stop work due to the epidemic, and only later did he ask the agency for help.
Neighbors are worried that their future life will be over and over, they will not have a lot of savings, their sons and daughters will not be able to take care of them, and their physical condition may deteriorate every day. They are worried, but they do not have no income Count again?
Huang Shuohong, Project Director of Oxfam Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan
Organization: Unemployed elders with children under the epidemic have reduced income
Huang Shuohong said that most of the elders she contacts are single-elderly or double-elderly families with little savings. Although they had jobs in their early years, because the MPF was only implemented in 2000, their contribution period was relatively short, and the cancellation of hedging was still difficult. If it is not implemented, the MPF they receive when they retire is running out. Give them money, but as they lose their jobs during the pandemic, it will be difficult to support their parents.
Law Chi-kwong, Secretary for Labour and Welfare, proposed that studies should be conducted to strengthen the coordination between public annuities and MPFs.
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Retirement protection currently has limited help for the elderly
Huang Shuohong pointed out that the current government's retirement protection mainly relies on the Comprehensive Suspension, Old Age Living Allowance and Old Age Allowance commonly known as "fruit money".
However, she believes that the above-mentioned measures can provide limited help. She explained that most elderly people are reluctant to apply for CSSA, and the application process will take time; and the amount of OALA, even if the government will combine normal and high OALA, The unified monthly payment of $3,915 is still lower than the poverty line of $4,400 for a one-person household; and the fruit allowance can only be claimed at the age of 70, and the current amount is only $1,515.
Huang Shuohong (left) suggested that the government should increase the amount of Old Age Living Allowance and relax the threshold for applying for WFA.
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It means that there is still a lot to do besides universal retirement
Huang Shuohong said that if it is said that people will withdraw from insurance, the specific measures can be very complicated, and the government may have a lot of considerations, but she believes that under the existing measures, there is actually a lot of work that can be done to directly help this group of seniors.
One of them is to increase the amount of the Old Age Living Allowance. She suggested that the poverty line should be used as a reference point, at least to the same level, and she believes that the current Hong Kong reserves can handle it. help (them)."
In addition, she also mentioned the working family allowance. The government has relaxed the threshold for applying for work allowance during the epidemic, and the basic working hours for non-single-parent households have been reduced to a minimum of 144 hours per month, which has been greatly reduced to 72 hours per month.
She believes that the threshold should be relaxed a little more. Many elderly people cannot work up to 72 hours a month due to physical reasons, and it is recommended to reduce the working hours to 36 hours. "For the elderly who are forced to do (work), the A big help, multiple income, you can do it right away, it’s actually very simple.”
Huang Shuohong pointed out that due to physical reasons, part-time jobs with more flexible working hours are more suitable for the elderly.
(File photo/Photo by Gong Jiasheng)
As for the "Employment Scheme for the Middle-aged and Senior Citizens" launched by the government, she said that many elderly people do not know about the relevant schemes, and most of the schemes provide full-time jobs. The elderly "may not be able to do it" due to problems such as physical strength and fatigue. She suggested that the government could increase Subsidies to encourage employers to provide more part-time jobs and strengthen promotion.
Depressed family members mistakenly believe it is dementia Hong Kong's latest district poverty rate Kwun Tong continues to be the poorest, and 2 districts have significantly improved their ranking in Kwai Tsing District. Seniors in Kwai Tsing District receive a $200 gift certificate for injections.
There are more than 390,000 poor elderly people in Hong Kong. In order to survive over 70 years old, they still have to work two jobs a day. Luo Zhiguang pointed out that the Hong Kong government has not set a poverty line higher than the poverty line.
