Talk of the town：Facing population ageing
【明報專訊】Similar to South Korea, Japan and Singapore, Hong Kong is currently facing the issue of population ageing. According to the Census and Statistics Department's population projections, the percentage of elderly persons aged 65 and above in the total population of Hong Kong will increase to 26% in 2029 and 34% in 2049. This implies that one in every four Hong Kong people in 2029 and about one in every three Hong Kong people in 2049 will be over 65 years of age. Solving this issue requires the concerted effort of the government and the entire society.
Population ageing is generally due to two major reasons, namely increasing life expectancy (預期壽命) and decreasing birth rates.
Developed economies usually have high levels of health technology and good healthcare systems. Therefore, people are expected to live longer, and this leads to an increase in life expectancy. At the same time, people are changing their thoughts on having children. The huge cost of child-rearing has made many newlyweds step back from having a child.
Challenges of population ageing
Most of the elderly population are already retired and they rely on the public medical services and government subsidies. A rise in the elderly population will place great pressure on the public finances. At the same time, the decline in birth rates will reduce the labour force in the future, which implies that the government may face labour-force shortages as well as falling tax revenues.
Ways to address an ageing population
Most of these economies have been distributing family subsidies and granting tax exemptions as ways to prevent a further decline in birth rates. The Hong Kong government has been improving elderly services to cope with increasing life expectancy and providing childcare service to encourage couples to have children.
■Gear up
(Answer on next text)
South Korea is currently facing the issue of population ageing. (True/False)
■Game
(Answer on next text)
Guess a Chinese idiom about elderly.
English: Elders are treasures.
Chinese: __ __ __ __，__ __ __ __。
■Grammar Booster
Step back
''Step back'' is a phrasal verb, which means to temporarily stop being involved in an activity or situation in order to think about it in a new way.
E.g. I have had to step back and take an honest look at my way of learning.
■Glossary
child-rearing (n) 育兒
newlyweds (n) 新婚夫婦
shortage (n) 短缺
exemption (n) 豁免
(Criticisms on this publication, if any, are aimed at pointing out the errors or defects of certain systems or policies with a view to rectifying or eradicating such errors or defects, as well as prompting improvement or remedy for them via lawful means. There is absolutely no intention of inciting hatred, discontent or hostility towards the government or other classes of the community.)
[Smarties' Power English 第384期]
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