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Rachel Blundy

Between December 2016 and February 2017, there were 3,824,400 people employed in Hong Kong, representing a 61.2 per cent labour participation rate. As of December 2016, the most common sector for employment was import/export, wholesale and retail trades, with 809,144 workers. This was followed by those working in social and personal services (507,952); financial services (222,720) and transportation, storage, postal and courier services (178,802). During this period 119,400 people were classed as unemployed, while 48,800 were underemployed.
A sign of the times: traditional jobs are long gone with Hong Kong’s changing workforce
There is still no rule on maximum working hours. The minimum wage will increase to HK$34.50 from May 1.
In the Year of the Rooster, economists have warned the local economy is expected to record slower growth due to weak exports, a slumping property market and slowing private consumption.


JOBS THAT HAVE DIED OUT
 Bus and tram conductors Long before the age of cash boxes and the Octopus card, Hong Kong’s buses and trams had conductors who would collect fares. China Motor Bus (CMB) vehicles also had a gateman to supervise passengers boarding and leaving the bus. But by the mid-1970s, both CMB and Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) were running one-man buses, with a cash box next to the driver’s cabin. The Octopus card was introduced as a payment method on some bus routes in 1997 and is now accepted on all routes.
On trams, two conductors would be stationed on the upper and lower decks to collect fares until coin boxes were introduced in 1976. The position was eventually phased out entirely by the year 1982.
Wong Lam, a member of the Legislative Council from 1976 to 1985, was employed as a bus conductor with KMB after the second world war.
JOBS THAT ARE DYING OUT 
Cha chaan teng delivery workers
Cha chaan teng or tea houses emerged after the second world war, creating Hong Kong fast food with British influences. They have since become an extremely popular Hong Kong tradition. The restaurants typically offered a delivery service by a worker on a bicycle, but this role is becoming increasingly obsolete. Food delivery apps such as FoodPanda and Deliveroo now offer delivery by motorbike. Meanwhile, many of the independent cha chaan tengs are being replaced by Hong Kong-style chains such as Cafe de Coral or Maxim’s. 
Lantern and flower plaque makers Handmade lanterns and flower plaques were particularly popular in the 1940s and 50s, especially with communities in the New Territories. Many of the materials now have to be sourced from the mainland, as they are no longer made in Hong Kong. Some flower altars can take up to 20 days to create. Paper artisan Kenneth Mo Cheuk-kei, who has a workshop in Yuen Long, is one of the remaining craftsmen in the industry, along with Lee Tsui-lan, who says the only experts in her industry are aged in their 60s as young people are not interested in learning the craft.
From butcher to meat-cutting technicians: Manual job titles in Hong Kong get revamped to attract younger workers
Watchmen Once a familiar sight outside private apartment buildings, workplaces and public facilities, the personalised service provided by Hong Kong’s security watchmen is increasingly being replaced by the somewhat robotic employees of large security firms and enhanced CCTV systems. 
Fortune tellers Hong Kong’s fortune tellers have traditionally congregated close to the city’s temples. But now their livelihood is being threatened by fortune-telling machines which can scan and interpret fortune sticks embedded with radio frequency identification tags. However, a trial of the technology at Wong Tai Sin Temple over the last Lunar New Year holiday proved relatively unpopular.


Stencil makers Stencil makers once lined the streets of areas such as Mong Kok offering handmade signs in traditional Chinese calligraphy. The delicate craft uses simple tools which, in the last two decades, have been replaced with digital technology. Few young people are now choosing to learn the craft. One of the city’s final stencil makers, Wu Ding-keung, has a stall in Argyle Street, Mong Kok, which he says he will retain until there are no customers. His remaining clients say they enjoy the traditional handmade quality of his signs and the convenience of his service.
From rags to riches: three billionaire Hong Kong tycoons who rose to the top from simple beginnings 
Letterpress printers There were previously about 200 letterpress companies in Hong Kong, mainly in Sheung Wan and Central, printing the likes of office stationery, but these have all either closed or now use machine letterpresses. Yam Wai-sang owns the final traditional letterpress printing company in the city – Kwong Wah Printing Company. Mr Yam has about 100,000 letterpress characters, but he says he is no longer accepting new clients as he is not confident he has all the correct characters. He plans to donate his letterpress tools to an NGO when he retires, as his children have said they do not wish to take over the business.


Six industries that are dying in Hong Kong – and one that is already dead

Kenneth Mo Cheuk-kei is one of the remaining craftsmen making traditional paper masks. Photo: Edward Wong

Tarot card reading and traditional face/palm reading stalls in Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei

One of the first double-decker trams in Central in 1940

Teenagers in a Cafe de Coral fast food restaurant in Central in 1986

Sam Yam Wai-sang works at Kwong Wah Printing Company in Sheung Wan

Chinese paper effigy master Au-Yeung Ping-chi at his shop in Sham Shui Po

News

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Economy

Between December 2016 and February 2017, 119,400 people in the city were classed as unemployed, while 48,800 were underemployed
