The Labour & Welfare Bureau today published the Report on 2023 Manpower Projection, which indicated that Hong Kong is expected to face a manpower shortage of 180,000 by 2028.

Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun told a press conference this afternoon that the local labour force in 2023 was 3.5 million, while labour supply was three million, resulting in a tight labour market with a shortage of approximately 50,000 workers.

More notable gaps were observed in some labour-intensive sectors such as construction, city operations, health services, accommodation and food, retail, tourism, as well as in the innovation and technology industry.

Given that Hong Kong's economy is projected to grow by 3.2% annually during the projection period, Mr Sun said it will drive sustained high demand for manpower from major industries. 

By 2028, the local labour force is projected to slightly increase to 3.56 million. The supply of local manpower would nevertheless fall short to meet the rising demand, resulting in a widening manpower shortage of 180,000, an increase of 130,000 from 2023.

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

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

The labour force should acquire new operational skills such as e-commerce and AI applications in response to industry transformations and changes in operational models on an ongoing basis to remain competitive.

In facing severe manpower shortages in Hong Kong in the next five years, Mr Sun said the Government and all quarters of the community should collaborate to address this challenge and increase overall productivity with a view to promoting the high-quality development of Hong Kong.

The Government will enhance and expand local training to preserve the competitiveness of the local workforce. It will also continue to import outside talent and labour at an appropriate scale to meet imminent needs, the labour chief added.