To develop the industry in Hong Kong, we must solve the housing problem.
Live and work in peace and contentment, and then you can go to work well.
Hong Kong used to have a dormitory system, universities have dormitories for teachers, and the government has different types of dormitories.
The dormitory system may sound irrelevant to the industry, but look at Japan and South Korea, why are they able to develop the industry well?
It is because they have a settled system that allows employees to work in an institution for a long time and develop their career potential.
The average salary of Japanese people is lower than that of Hong Kong people, but many people are willing to work in a company for a long time, because Japan still has the tradition of dormitory.
Whether the government or large enterprises will provide dormitory, dormitory has created a comfortable living conditions.
So there is the possibility of happiness.
One of the current structural problems in Hong Kong is: to develop the industry, the so-called "upper class" that everyone likes is to increase labor, while ignoring another practical problem - housing.
Can this problem be solved in a dormitory way by another model?
In addition to public housing and HOS, can more dormitories be developed?
For example, there are many mansions next to the Science Park. Is it the Science Park or the mansions next to it that really make money?
To develop an industry, it is necessary to recruit employees, but it is difficult to develop more human resources next to a mansion.
What is more needed is the provision of affordable housing next to the Science Park, where there is a community for low- and middle-income workers and tradespeople.
Now the abnormal development of the Science Park is that there are mansions next to it.
Only high-rise or even residents who work in Central.
A large number of people working in the Science Park may travel long distances every day to come to work from different parts of Hong Kong.
Why is there so much land in the Science Park, but some HOS and public housing estates are not developed next to the Science Park, and even let the company directly operate the dormitory, so that employees can truly build a community next to the company?
One-stop services can also be provided, such as childcare. To increase the fertility rate in Hong Kong, childcare and early childhood education is a very important sector.
Whether it is Science Park or Cyberport, these flagship industry-related platforms in Hong Kong must set up living facilities such as dormitories, public housing and HOS housing in order to provide sufficient human resources to develop industries.
Bel-Air next to the Cyberport is a luxury residence, and ordinary low- and middle-income employees simply cannot afford to live in housing estates such as Bel-Air and Baguio Bay.
So, why hasn't the government made these packages?
In the past, the Hong Kong government planned that people with high, middle, and low incomes would live in the same community. The high-income residences may be higher-end, and the low-income residences may be lower-class. However, now in Hong Kong, real estate developers basically only develop luxury residences and do not develop other types of living models. The government has been slow to develop other modes of living.
Why doesn't the government develop some dormitory concepts so that other non-real estate companies can develop and develop?
For example, there are many industrial buildings in Kwun Tong District. Can some industrial buildings be converted into dormitories popular with young people?
Proximity to living and working places can also reduce vehicles and reduce carbon emissions.
This should be a comprehensive planning problem. It is not difficult to solve. It just needs a policy, which is related to whether the government is willing to implement it.
Developing an industry requires talents. Hong Kong has a lot of capital, but building a team to develop the industry is the most difficult.
At present, the biggest difficulty facing Hong Kong is talent. The upper-level employees can often be recruited internationally, but a sound industrial ecology must have its own high-, middle- and low-level employees in order to be able to develop sustainably.
This is the case in the Mainland, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore.
Hu Enwei
is a member of the National Hong Kong and Macao Research Association, a member of the Jiangsu Provincial Political Consultative Conference, and Zuni.
Icosahedron United Artistic Director and Chief Executive Officer
(The article is purely the author's opinion and does not represent the position of Hong Kong 01.)