7 d. ago Hong Kong workers’ 2.7% pay rise lowest since Covid pandemic: study

Hong Kong employees received an average pay rise of 2.7 per cent this year, the lowest since the Covid-19 pandemic, as companies balanced staff retention with an uncertain operating environment influenced by geopolitical tensions, an industry body revealed on Tuesday. The study, conducted by the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management (HKIHRM), also forecast that salaries could increase by an average of 3.5 per cent next year, with most employers still undecided about whether to raise...

Economics

9 d. ago Hong Kong in fight for foreign university students as Singapore emerges as rival

The number of international first-year students at Hong Kong’s public universities remained below pre-pandemic levels in the last academic year despite the government doubling quotas for non-locals, with an admissions official saying Singapore has emerged as a growing education powerhouse. The official from a local university also said some overseas students preferred to study in Singapore over Hong Kong because the city state’s strong rankings reflected its educational status. In Hong Kong,...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong to study reviving public housing sale scheme for tenants

Hong Kong will launch a study next year to assess whether to bring back a scheme that helps current public housing tenants buy their rental flats, with polls covering tenants and families on the waiting list. Officials faced mounting calls for relaunching the Tenants Purchase Scheme at a Legislative Council housing panel meeting on Monday, with some legislators saying the move could help boost social stability by raising Hong Kong’s home ownership rate. Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong study finds giving girls toys aimed at boys can boost STEM skills

Playing with toys aimed at boys helps children develop spatial skills better than ones designed for girls and can give them an advantage if they pursue a STEM education, a seven-year Hong Kong study has found. Professor Ivy Wong Wang, director of the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s gender studies programme, said boy-typical play, involving toy cars or assembling models for example, generally encouraged spatial skills, while toys for girls, such as tea sets or baby dolls, rarely required the...

Events

2 w. ago Alzheimer’s gene variant in Chinese linked to rapid decline: Hong Kong study

Hong Kong researchers have found that a gene variant more prevalent among ethnic Chinese people can lead to faster deterioration of Alzheimer’s disease cases, with some carriers progressing to the severe stages in just three to five years. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) said on Thursday the finding could pave the way for developing targeted treatment. It also took the opportunity to stress the urgent need for a database cataloguing the genes of ethnic Chinese people...

Politics

3 w. ago Spread risk higher in young or advanced breast cancer cases: Hong Kong study

Women diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age or at a more advanced stage were at higher risk of the disease spreading to other parts of the body upon recurrence, a Hong Kong study has found. Non-profit organisation the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation released its latest registry report on Monday and urged women to perform self-examinations monthly. The report included data from more than 26,000 patients diagnosed with breast cancer from 2006 onwards. Part of the report examined risk...

Events