HK to face 180,000 manpower shortage by 2028

This is an increase of 130,000 from 2023.

The Labour and Welfare Bureau said Hong Kong is expected to face a manpower shortage of 180,000 by 2028, widening from 130,000 in 2023.

Notable gaps were observed in labour-intensive sectors including construction, city operations, health services, accommodation and food, retail, tourism, and innovation and technology.

This comes even as Labour and Welfare Secretary Chris Sun said the projected 3.2% annual economic growth would drive sustained high demand for manpower from major industries.  

Due to an ageing workforce and a lack of new entrants, the projection indicates that there will be a shortage of skilled technical workers, accounting for over one-third of the total shortage in 2028.

Looking ahead, Secretary Sun said there will be rising demand for digitalised operations roles such as artificial intelligence (AI) specialists, data analysts and information technology experts.

The secretary added that the labour force must acquire new operational skills such as e-commerce and AI applications in response to industry changes to remain competitive.