Children play balls in Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong on Dec 29, 2022. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)
Parents of newborns in Hong Kong can expect to receive a HK$20,000 ($2,562) one-off baby bonus in late February at the earliest, with the legislature set to debate the government’s funding proposal on Friday.
The baby bonus scheme, announced by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in his latest Policy Address, is part of a package of birthrate boosters aimed at increasing the city’s fertility rate.
Eligible applicants — parents who have had a newborn baby in Hong Kong since Oct 25, 2023 — can apply for the baby bonus within 42 days of the birth when they register the baby under the three-year plan. One of the parents must be a Hong Kong permanent resident
It is estimated that from 2024-25 onwards, the number of births will increase by 20 percent, from about 32,500 in 2022 to around 39,000, and the parents of a similar percentage of newborn babies will be eligible for the baby bonus in each of the next three years, according to a paper submitted to the Finance Committee of the legislature by the Labour and Welfare Bureau.
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The birth rate in Hong Kong is extremely low, at 0.9 births per woman, and the proportion of elderly people aged 65 and above is expected to increase from 20 percent to over 30 percent in the next 10 years.
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Eligible applicants — parents who have had a newborn baby in Hong Kong since Oct 25, 2023 — can apply for the baby bonus within 42 days of the birth when they register the baby under the three-year plan. One of the parents must be a Hong Kong permanent resident.
Funding for the scheme will amount to HK$2.29 billion.
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The Labour and Welfare Bureau believes that the bonus scheme will create a conducive environment for giving birth and will send a strong message of encouragement to the community.
The bureau added that the decision to have a child remains personal and it would not be appropriate for the authorities to set any target.
Contact the writer at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com
