【明報專訊】The Incident

There are few subjects in any society as controversial as labour importation (輸入外勞).

On 24 October 2013 the government published a consultation paper on Hong Kong's population policy, suggesting the importation of labour as a way to ease our city's manpower shortages.

The government says that Hong Kong's birth rate stood at a low of 1.3 children per woman in 2012 and is expected to remain at this level until 2041. Hong Kong's working population (勞動人口), after reaching a high of 3.71 million in 2018, will gradually diminish to 3.51 million in 2035, says the government.

This means that, in 2041, one out of three people will be 65 or older. The government says it will be difficult for our city to maintain a 4% annual GDP growth unless measures are taken to replenish (補充) the working population.