Breaking taboos for building future

From the policy address, it is certainly most comforting to see the government's strong conviction on housing supply.迷你倉 To narrow the wealth gap and boost home ownership, the ambitious goal is to raise public housing stock by 36 percent in 10 years and 40 percent of private flat supply within five years. However, there is a hidden time bomb: the construction industry's manpower shortage. No matter how hard policy is driving the projects, it is limited by the local workforce. Considering that construction costs have risen from about HK$800 per square foot 10 years ago to nearly HK$5,500 psf today, the escalation will continue to pose severe challenges to meeting expectations. Importing labor has always been taboo in Hong Kong - almost any mention of the term is frowned upon. But to be realistic, we have to address the issue and find a solution. Currently, the average age of a construction worker on-site is about 50, while certain tradesmen, 迷你倉將軍澳uch as welders or steel workers, are well above 60. The lack of laborers not only causes costs to soar, but also sharply affects efficiency due to the aging workers. We now spend more, but get less. Perhaps there can be a temporary relaxation on the conditions and a trial period for importing construction labor, a short-term solution to bring the cost back down to optimal levels, to reduce the financial burden on the government and private sector. But the effort doesn't stop there - the government must pour immense resources into training a young local labor force. The Vocational Training Council and the Construction Industry Council have established career programs to help rebuild the local workforce. But the government must take a more active role and help promote employment opportunities in the sector. Architectural critic Nicholas Ho and art historian Stephanie Poon don't always see eye to eye. nicholasho@hpahk.com, stephanie@cdd.com.hk 倉