Hong Kong Stories

* Father Thomas Law Kwok-fai: "Those [who build] inflated buildings will definitely be scared to death. If Cafe de Coral came, it would be even more dreadful. Those are the real man-eating devils." South China Morning Post

* Four in 10 people say they work too many hours and would consider changing jobs for a more balanced life, a survey of 1,009 employess by the University of Hong Kong found. The mean working week was 48.7 hours. Near 60% of employess complained of prolonged fatigue, and 35% suffered from insomnia due to work pressure. "Four in 10 say they work too long," South China Morning Post Oct 20,2010

* One in five credit card holders is unable to meet even the minimum monthly payment and 70 percent barely make it, a study by the University of Hong Kong reveals. According to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, there were more than 13 million credit card accounts in the second quarter of this year. Chung said 70 percent of the 506 cardholders interviewed said they can only afford the minimum payment each month while 21 percent pay less. All of the respondents are aged 18 or above, with 69percent between 25 and 35. They have on average 2.5 credit cards, though one respondent has 14. Pollster in swipe at card craziness

* A July (2010) poll of 657 parents with children aged five to 16 showed nearly 90 percent have maids, 80 percent are unable to do homework on their own and fewer than 7 percent manage household chores such as sweeping floors and folding clothes.

* Around 50 percent of people in Hong Kong and the mainland are spending 11 to 25 percent of their income on their parents, mainly due to the weak social security systems, and that most of them are finding it hard to cope. Also, around 36 percent expect their own children to provide for them in the same manner. Standard

* The Census and Statistics Department said the average lifespan for women in Hong Kong may exceed 90 years in 2039, while men's lives will increase by 3.9 years to 83.7 years in 2039. The Standard

* Nearly all of last year's University of Hong Kong graduates have found a job - but most had to settle for lower pay than the previous batch. The average salary of graduates dropped 11.4 percent from HK$18,755 to HK$16,625. The Standard

* The Census and Statistics Department revealed that the SAR's 2.8 million workers earn a median hourly wage of HK$58, but the lowest-paid 10 percent of the workforce makes less than HK$27 an hour, with those in security and cleaning services getting just HK$27.60. The Standard

* HK ranks 31st among world's most livable cities

* Since The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal came out with the Index of Economic Freedom in 1995, Hong Kong has been named the freest economy in the world every year. That hasn't changed. For the 16th straight year the city topped the index, again beating Singapore for the title, with Australia and New Zealand at Nos 3 and 4. The Standard

* According to a survey by the Hong Kong Christian Service, which interviewed 400 respondents from September to November last year, the happiness score for those between 20 and 28 is 4.14 points, compared to an average of between 4.5 and 5.5 points for the whole group. The Standard

* A total of 157 people aged below 30 committed suicide last year, compared to 129 in 2007, an increase of 22%. The Samaritans pointed out that suicides had accounted for nearly 10 times more deaths in the past 5 years than those caused by traffic accidents. The group (Samaritans) received 31,000 calls for help in the budget year of 2008-09, while 28,296 calls were received in the previous year. Confirmed male callers accounted for 34%, while 30% were female callers. The other callers declined to speak. "Youth Suicides on the Increase" South China Morning Post Dec 29, 2009

* Hong Kong still ranks as the world's second most expensive retail rental market behind New York, despite suffering from the global economic crisis, with values of US$976 (HK$7,613) per sq ft per annum, according to study by CB Richard Ellis that was released on December 7. The Standard

* World's Greatest City: 50 Reasons Why Hong Kong is No. 1

* A survey, covering 849 Primary Three to Form Five students from poor families, was conducted by the Boys' & Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong. About 52 percent of the respondents said they feel “totally useless” while almost 43 percent considered themselves “sometimes useless.” And about 30 percent believe they are losers. The monthly family incomes of all those surveyed is less than the median of HK$10,500 and some 40 percent live under the poverty line - with their families earning less than half the monthly median figure.
The Standard

* Hong Kong's wealthy lost the most. The ranks of those in Hong Kong whose net worth totaled US$1 million or more shrank by 61% from a year earlier, the study said. WSJ

* According to the United Nations Development Program's report on human mobility and the best places to live, Australia is 2nd, Canada is 4th, USA is 13th, Singapore is 23rd, Hong Kong is 24th, and China is 92nd.

* Researchers interviewed 6,700 people, including 1,002 from Hong Kong, by telephone in July. They found local consumers were the least likely to plan for a shopping trip. They were the most likely to shop whenever they had time instead of setting a regular time - 32% compared with the global average of 17%. While 62% globally said they usually took a shopping list, just 32% of Hongkongers did.

The survey also found the city's fast-paced lifestyle help support the rising number of convenience stores, with 21% saying they bought groceries from such outlets, second to Russia with 25%.
"HK has most impulsive buyers" SCMP, Oct 7, 2009

* The number of people living under the poverty line in the first half of the year reached a record high of 1.23 million people. The definition of poverty in the study involves people earning an income of equal to or less than half the median monthly domestic household income, which is set according to the number of members in a family. The median for the first half of 2009 was HK$3,300 for a single member family, HK$6,750 for a two-member family, HK$9,150 for a three-member family, HK$12,650 for families with four or more people. SCMP, Sept 28, 2009

* The decline in gross floor area (GFA) efficiency rates through the years:
1980s - 78-89%
1990s - 72-84%
2000s - 68-77%
SCMP, Sept 27, 2009

* Hong Kong remains the most expensive place in the world to run an office, according to Colliers International. In the latest Global Office Real Estate Mid-Year Review, which features 170 office markets across the globe, Hong Kong topped the list again despite seeing a 35 percent slide in Class A rent to US$138.08 (HK$1,077.02) per square foot per year in June. The Standard

* Singapore was rated the easiest economy in the world to do business for the fourth year in a row by the World Bank and its private-sector lending arm, the International Finance Corp. The ranking came in the Doing Business 2010 report. New Zealand was ranked as the second-easiest place to do business, with Hong Kong lagging in third place. The Standard

RTHK's Hong Kong Stories I enjoyed viewing:
Barbecue Meat
Bamboo
My Old Friend
The Invisible People
A Fisherman's Story
Condiment with a Tradition