Chief executive John Lee Ka-chiu delivered the second Policy Address today. Oxfam welcomes the government's more in-depth measures to encourage capable elderly individuals and women to participate and re-enter labour market, develop silver economy and support the disadvantage group.  Oxfam believes that the administration can further improve low-income wages to maximize the impact of these measures and address in working poverty.

"The wealth gap rose from 34.3 times in 2019 to 57.7 times in 2022 during the pandemic, reflecting a polarized recovery between low-income and high-income households despite social normalization," said Ms Kalina Tsang, Director General of Oxfam Hong Kong. "We welcome the specific actions in the Policy Address to tackle this but hope to see more substantial improvements in raising grassroots wages."

We would express our feedback in the below key 3 areas.

1. Working Poverty:

Oxfam appreciates The Government will consider and follow up on the recommendations made by the Minimum Wage Commission and decide on the way forward of the review mechanism in six months' time. This is a positive step towards implementing annual review of the minimum wage. We are also recommend pegging adjustments to the Consumer Price Index A and setting a wage level that exceeds average Comprehensive Social Security Assistance payments to protect grassroots incomes. We adhere our concept of “One Working One Living” which we encourage one worker in a family can support one non-working family member financially.

Additionally, Oxfam also suggests that the government announce the living wage simultaneously with the annual minimum wage review.  This would empower responsible employers to voluntarily adopt a living wage framework. As Hong Kong's largest employer, the government should take the lead by paying outsourced workers a living wage, demonstrating its commitment to fair remuneration practices. We believe that increasing grassroots wages not only helps improve the issue of working poverty but also encourages women and capable elderly individuals to participate in and re-enter the labour market.  

2. Ethnic Minority Students Learning Chinese:

Oxfam acknowledges the Hong Kong government's enhanced support for non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students to learn Chinese effectively, as mentioned in its latest Policy Address. This response affirms Oxfam's work in this area since 2015.

Partnering with two local universities, Oxfam launched the Enrichment Programme in Chinese for non-Chinese speaking kindergarten students. In 2020, this programme received support from the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund), becoming the first "Pay-for-Success" project in Hong Kong, benefiting one-fifth of kindergartens enrolling non-Chinese speaking students and expanding our reach.

In Policy Address, it mentioned Education Board will design Chinese Language program addition for primary students while Oxfam recommends the government to expand support to NCS kindergarteners. Based on our experience, earlier age learning yields better results. In our Enrichment Programme, the result showed participating NCS kindergarteners improved their Chinese competency and closed its gap by 50% with native speakers. 

Oxfam also recommends teachers to complete training in teaching Chinese as a second language to boost expertise. Training should equip teachers with knowledge on theories, techniques and assessment methods for NCS students.  

3. Community Living Rooms

Oxfam also commends the “Community Living Rooms" pilot programme as an additional living space for subdivided unit residents, including area for children to engage in homework. The pilot programme will be rolled out at Fuk Wa Street of Sham Shui Po later this year, for a period of three years. The CLR is expected to serve at least 500 SDU households. To maximize the benefits of these facilities, we recommend prioritizing convenience for subdivided unit residents in respective districts, expanding "Community Living Rooms" to all 18 districts, proportionate to the population in each district and conducting regular evaluations for their effectiveness and value.

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About Oxfam
Oxfam is a global organisation committed to creating a world without poverty through its advocacy, development and humanitarian work.
 

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Emily Wong 
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Email: emily.wong@oxfam.org.hk

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