Opinion | Writing off young Hongkongers as lazy misses city’s larger problems

A survey conducted between last November and March this year by the Employees Retraining Board, an independent statutory body, found that half the 1,261 people they interviewed expressed little interest in working. That number might seem high, but survey respondents included homemakers and recent retirees.

For those who have recently retired, it makes perfect sense. Finally leaving the rat race probably means they won’t want to sign up for another. It’s time to rest, travel a bit and just enjoy life. Estimates suggest we spend a third of our lives working. For Hong Kong, where working overtime is the norm, our numbers are likely to be even higher.

How about homemakers? Of course they have little interest in work. They are already working full-time jobs. Those aged 30 to 49, the survey found, were more inclined to find a job, but only for those they could work on a part-time basis.

What is alarming about the survey results is that more than 36 per cent of young people interviewed who were neither in school nor employed said they had no intentions of finding a job. Even with the prospect of good salaries and benefits, flexible working hours and working from home, only some would consider working.

That’s hard for some middle-aged people to wrap their head around. If I was paid better, given the freedom to work flexible hours and not be in the office, I would be stoked. So why are young people in their prime taking a pass?