Fixing the economy, one district at a time
With the pressure on employment, Hong Kong will need to rethink job opportunities. With three simple visuals we offer three reasons why District Councils must get involved:
1. The number of job opportunities in their district.
2. The proportion of jobs taken up by local residents.
3. The proportion of local residents who work in their own district.
Employment is top heavy around Victoria Harbour. Residents working in their own district is especially evident in Central & Western and Tsim Sha Tsui. Districts with few job opportunities see most of those jobs taken up by local residents – up to 81% in Tuen Mun.
These statistics do not answer all the questions. They do indicate the importance of district councillors to get involved. Understanding which industries can help improve employment requires a healthy amount of local knowledge (see details).Growing local economies is not simply about arts and craft, community markets or tourism. The absence of floor space designated for commercial uses hampers job opportunities in the NT. In the Southern District it is about reorganising Aberdeen Harbour and allowing the marine industry to grow. The underutilised Tolo Harbour is an obvious opportunity in the Taipo District. These investments will directly benefit local residents.
Each district has their own challenges and offer their own opportunities. It is upon the District Councillors and the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau to “deep dive” district by district to develop a strategy and action plan to address the growing unemployment.
改善經濟，由地區做起
本港經濟及就業市場持續低迷，我們需要重新思考發展社區經濟的可能性。通過三個簡單的地圖，讓我們解釋區議會為何應該協助發展地區經濟：
1. 各區職位數目
2. 本區就業百分比
3. 居民佔本區職位百分比
本港的就業集中於維多利亞港兩岸，因此無論是職位數目或本區就業百分比，中西區及油尖旺區都名列前矛。同時，新界區雖然就業機會較少，但本地居民卻填補了大多數的職位，當中屯門區的數據更高達81%。
這些數據雖未能帶出解決方法，卻提供了一個機遇讓議員能對症下藥。議員能透過整合現有的資料（按此參閱各區詳細就業資訊），在區內進行研究及對當區的了解，去推動該區的可持續就業機會。現時商業用的樓面面積集中在港九，令新界等欠缺就業機會，因此發展地區經濟並不限於開拓新的工業、擴闊區內的市場或發展旅遊業，而是要集中資源去發掘各區的優勢。在南區這關乎香港仔漁港及其他海洋產業的發展。而大埔區可能需要加以利用吐露港這個天然資源並整合現存的工業。
各區都有不同的問題和限制，但因此卻可以為香港帶來各種的機遇。了解過自己的地區後，便可以與商務及經濟發展局協商，就各區的獨特情況製定相應的策略和行動，從地區做起，改善本港的就業環境。
