Write an essay explaining why the problem of poverty is still serious in Hong Kong. Suggest ways that can tackle the problem.
Despite the fact that Hong Kong is a wealthy city, the problem of poverty is still troubling the government. Why would that be? And is poverty an unsolvable time bomb? Actually, if we can look into the matter deeper, the poverty problem could be addressed at its source.
Obviously, the change in the social structure in Hong Kong is one of the underlying causes. Hong Kong’s economy is no longer an industrial one but a knowledge-based and a hi-tech one. The rout of secondary industry and the rise of tertiary industry have led to an increasing demand for skilled labours. As a result, the grassroots groups, which lack skills and are poorly educated, lose competitiveness and thus their jobs. They fall into the poverty trap as a result.
In addition, inflation is another major factor leading to poverty. The rising living expenses bring adverse impacts to people from all walks of life. Not only does the lower class suffer, the middle class also find it hard to maintain a decent living standard. When inflation occurs, the whole economy is locked into a vicious cycle. Once the prices of grocery items soar, people spend less on entertainment and dining out. As a consequence, the economy is hard to recover and poverty is more likely to grow.
Another reason that makes Hong Kong people more vulnerable to the attack of poverty is that the Hong Kong government is rather reluctant to improve the welfare system. The present system is far from satisfactory and cannot secure the poor’s lives. Even though the government has a surplus, what it gives back to the public are petty favours. The welfare payments never get to increase adequately to meet the needs of the recipients. The hesitant attitude of the government makes a comprehensive welfare system a dream.
To get rid of poverty, effective remedies have to be carried out with determination and persistence.
One of the solutions is to provide retraining programmes to both employers and employees. Only tailor-made training programmes can help polish the skills people need for their jobs. The government can provide funds or subsidies to people who receive the training, so as to relieve financial burden on one hand and increase their competitiveness on the other. Besides, the business enterprises themselves can encourage their employees to improve by organizing further training programmes within the companies.
Apart from that, setting up the minimum wage law is necessary to protect people with low-paid jobs. It is intolerable to sit and watch how unscrupulous employers exploit their poor employers. Although this is unsupported by the business field, it is a must-take step. Some argue that the minimum wage law would only make the life of labours harder because they would be fired by those companies who refuse to pay higher wages. However, if companies run well with happier labours who provide a better quality of work , why would they sack labours? What’s more, some claim that the minimum wage would discourage entrepreneurs from starting and running their business in Hong Kong and thus they will move to mainland China. Nonetheless, the benefited groups of minimum wage are the ones with low-paid jobs. They include security guards, cleaners and deliverers. The demand for these services is fixed in Hong Kong. We still need security guards even if they are paid with higher wages. The streets have to be cleaned even when the cleaners’ wages are slightly raised. If other developed countries can implement such a law, why can’t we?
To conclude, although the dream of eradicating poverty seems impossible, we can definitely reduce the severity of the problem step by step. If the government had a stronger will to help its people, the poor wouldn’t have to beg for mercy and life will surely become better, if not the best.