Questions have been raised about the effectiveness of potentially extending a baby bonus scheme to talent admitted to Hong Kong to boost the birth rate, despite some professionals complaining about being left out.
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Experts and lawmakers said that other incentives and measures were needed to encourage childbearing and boost the birth rate.
Last month, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said the Newborn Baby Bonus Scheme was under review, with authorities to consider suggestions, including whether to extend it to cover families arriving in the city under various talent programmes.
The one-off cash allowance of HK$20,000 (US$2,550) had been distributed to 48,984 applicants as of the end of June, with HK$979 million handed out in total.
The scheme was unveiled in Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s 2023 policy address and currently requires the child to be born in Hong Kong between October 25, 2023, and October 24, 2026, to receive the handout. At least one parent must be a permanent resident at the time of application.
Official statistics showed that the number of births in Hong Kong plunged from 37,000 in 2021 to 32,500 in 2022, before bouncing back to 33,200 in 2023 and 36,700 last year.