無人才去維持經濟

problem: the birth rate of Hong Kong is now one of the lowerst in the world.

very low fertility rate of 1.28 children per woman- well below the replacement level of 2.1

only 0.8 birth for every woman of childrearing age.

even lower than those countries, like Japan and Singapore, that have made population policy a top priority.

If current trend continues, a quarter of Hong Kong population will be 65 or over by 2031.

shrinking workforce, from around 2017, that will affect Hong Kong's sustainability and competitiveness.

less school population and less human talent 人才 to sustain the economy

few taxpayers when compared with the increasing number of elderly

why: many factors attibutable to the rapid and continuous decline

married couples choose to have fewer chidlren because of the following hurdles

 1. too busy to work
> due to fiancial burden

2. excessive financial burden
>outrageous property price
>Even with the 12 years of free education, parents are still spending considerable sums on outside activities, in particular private tuition, to try to make their children more competitive.
>substain a decent living, most couples need to both work.

3.huge responsibility of child rearing
>raising children involves a lot of sacrifice and commitment

4.unfavourable living environment.

women cannot find a husband dute to limited number of men in Hong Kong

some women choose not to marry:
>women are capable of leading a financially independent life


solution: 
There is no quick fix and no one-size-fits-all policy can break down all the barriers to having babies.

to encourage its citizens to have more children and rasie a large family, one of the effective ways is to offer incentives for doing so.
> tax breaks, tax exemptions
>allowances
> longer maternity and paterntiy leave

employers
> flexible working hours

[conlusion:

rapid decreasing birth rate is worrisome trend that needs to be reckoned with (認真處理) and faced head on迎面地

if the birth rate continue to wane衰落；变暗淡, our human talent pool will thin out and the tax base wil be undermined ]

long-term well being of Hong Kong wil deteriotate