Hong Kong to consider giving baby bonuses to talent scheme parents

Hong Kong authorities will consider extending a baby bonus scheme to cover newborns of parents under the talent programmes, the city’s welfare minister has said, as more than HK$900 million (US$114.6 million) in such rewards have been distributed to encourage childbearing since 2023.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said on Wednesday that authorities had received 49,567 qualified applications under the Newborn Baby Bonus Scheme as of the end of last month, with a one-off cash allowance of HK$20,000 being distributed to 48,984 applicants.

The total bonuses given have reached about HK$979 million since the scheme was introduced about two years ago, according to Sun.

“The Office of the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration is carrying out a review of the Newborn Baby Bonus Scheme,” Sun said in response to a lawmaker’s questions about the government’s measures to encourage childbearing.

“In the review, suggestions which have been raised in the community, including whether to cover families under different talent schemes, will be considered.”

Hong Kong’s birth rate fell to a record low in 2022 when the average number of children per woman dropped to 0.9.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced the baby bonus scheme in his 2023 policy address as part of measures to boost the city’s birth rate. It offers a one-off HK$20,000 to eligible parents for newborns, with the initiative to last for three years.