Kalina Tsang

Opinion | Coronavirus in Hong Kong: the government must come through for the jobless

The government has been protecting employers against the Covid-19 fallout, but it should help the unemployed and underemployed too. One way is to offer unemployment insurance, as other advanced economies are doing

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People wearing masks wait in front of a shuttered retail space in Causeway Bay. Photo: Sam Tsang

Kalina Tsang

Published: 9:30am, 13 May 2020Updated: 10:24am, 13 May 2020

“The past few nights, I’ve been walking around until 2am to find a good spot where I can stay after I become homeless.” The sting I felt when I first heard Tommy say this still hasn’t subsided.

He lost his job at a cha chaan teng in mid-February, and said he wouldn’t be able to afford the HK$2,200 he pays for a “bedspace apartment” after using up all his hard-earned money. Despite having applied for dozens of jobs since, he hasn’t found one. He lost his job due to the coronavirus’ unprecedented impact on the economy, and sadly he isn’t alone.

A survey by Oxfam and its partners in March showed a 400 per cent spike in unemployment among low-income households after the Lunar New Year; half of the 300-plus respondents had lost their jobs.

These numbers are likely to have surged since then, along with the unemployment rate, which has reached 4.2 per cent, the highest level in more than nine years. The other effects of the coronavirus are clear, too; stores on once-bustling streets are shutting down in droves.

However, the government’s anti-epidemic fund, which is meant to ameliorate the pernicious effects of Covid-19 on Hong Kong, has failed many. When the Concerning CSSA and Low Income Alliance recently interviewed 50 restaurant owners in Sham Shui Po and Yau Tsim Mong, it found that most were, despite government wage subsidies, planning to lay off staff or close down.

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Although everyone is suffering from the pandemic, people like Tommy are feeling it the most. Many who are unemployed aren’t eligible for the government’s Working Family Allowance, for instance; the scheme’s working-hours requirement effectively prevents casual workers from receiving much-needed help.