Open Learning in Hong Kong

As Hong Kong draws inexorably closer to 1 July 1997 and its transfer from a British Territory to a Special Administrative Region of PR China, it faces crucial questions about its manpower requirements and skills levels. This article outlines some of the key features of Hong Kong's manpower profile over the period 1993–2000 and stresses the need for industry-based upgrading of the industrial workforce. Significant features of this manpower profile include strong growth in workers with tertiary qualifications, a shift from manufacturing to service employment, and a decline in demand for unskilled workers, leading to unemployment and resultant social problems.