Shortfalls found in public services for Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities

Government departments offering help on things such as job hunting, welfare, interpretation and integration were asked to regularly review and improve the effectiveness of their work, following findings of a survey

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Integration into wider society is seen as ever more important for ethnic minority groups in Hong Kong. Photo: CS blog

Published: 2:22pm, 12 Mar 2018Updated: 11:42pm, 12 Mar 2018

Researchers have called for more funding for NGOs to help Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities better integrate into society, after a government survey which looked into the effectiveness of public services for such groups revealed a number of shortfalls.

Government departments providing services most needed by ethnic minorities – job hunting, family and child welfare, interpretation and integration – were also urged to regularly review and improve the effectiveness of their work.

Job opportunities for those with a better education were lacking, a survey found. Photo: SCMP

As of 2016, around 84,900 people – 1.2 per cent of the total population – of South Asian origin lived in Hong Kong, most whom were Indians, Nepalese and Pakistanis.

It just got easier for ethnic minorities to apply for more government jobs

A report on their economic situation published last month indicated 23 per cent of ethnic minority residents were living in poverty, higher than the 14.7 per cent for the overall population.