Letters | Hong Kong should look on the bright side of a low birth rate

Readers discuss the focus on boosting the birth rate, and elderly drivers

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A couple takes a selfie in front of a poster during the International Baby/Children Products Expo at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on August 2. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 11:30am, 17 Sep 2024

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I read with interest the letter, “Decision to have children transcends leave policies” (September 7). A low birth rate is an issue affecting not just Hong Kong but many countries around the world, especially Japan.

Having come across ludicrous solutions, such as South Korea’s funding of a matchmaking programme, I feel that society seems unable to think outside the box. Is raising the birth rate our ultimate goal?

We should focus on addressing the problems caused by a low birth rate – a shrinking workforce, school closures and an ageing population, in particular. If raising the birth rate seems like a lost cause, why not consider other ways of addressing the problem?

Attracting talent from overseas is one possible solution. There are countries where the birth rate is still comparatively high, such as India, and places such as the United States and even mainland China, which have many talented individuals in different fields. Enticing talent from overseas could address staffing shortages in different sectors. This has proved useful in countries like the US where the birth rate is diminishing.

In the context of Hong Kong, what is questionable is the effectiveness of talent schemes, such as the Top Talent Pass Scheme, in attracting professionals because of the city’s high cost of living, limited choice of industry and language barriers.

While we lament the declining birth rate, have we considered the potential benefits of a lower birth rate, provided it remains stable? Less competition for resources in society, for example, could alleviate the burden on the government and the wealth gap, as well as ensure everyone secures the opportunities they desire. In the long term, it could even benefit the entire world. By consuming fewer resources as a whole, we could slow down climate change.