Labor Segmentation and Dualisation in Hong Kong

Titolo Rivista SOCIOLOGIA DEL LAVORO
Autori/Curatori Raymond K.H. Chan
Anno di pubblicazione 2021 Fascicolo 2021/159
Lingua Inglese Numero pagine 23 P. 172-194 Dimensione file 287 KB
DOI 10.3280/SL2021-159009
Il DOI è il codice a barre della proprietà intellettuale: per saperne di più clicca qui

Qui sotto puoi vedere in anteprima la prima pagina di questo articolo.

Se questo articolo ti interessa, lo puoi acquistare (e scaricare in formato pdf) seguendo le facili indicazioni per acquistare il download credit. Acquista Download Credits per scaricare questo Articolo in formato PDF

Anteprima articolo

FrancoAngeli è membro della Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA)associazione indipendente e non profit per facilitare (attraverso i servizi tecnologici implementati da CrossRef.org) l’accesso degli studiosi ai contenuti digitali nelle pubblicazioni professionali e scientifiche

With a strong adherence to liberalism, the labor market in Hong Kong is character-ized by a low level of external regulation and an emphasis on self-adaptation as coping. The government mainly attend to the quality of manpower supplied meet-ing the market need, as well as peaceful industrial relations. Segmentation of labor is a natural result of this lowly regulated liberal market. Benefited from a relatively stable economy, unemployment in the past two decades mainly contained, but dualisation observed with widening income gap, as well as an emerging sector of insecure labor. The recent COVID-19 pandemic is leading to a sudden and unex-pected economic crisis. Though with more ad hoc measures, cautious in regulating the labor market maintained. While we are waiting for further government initia-tives, the ending of the employment subsidy from December will certainly worsen the situation. Further dualisation will be the result.

Con una forte adesione al liberismo, il mercato del lavoro di Hong Kong è caratterizzato da un basso livello di regolamentazione e da un’enfasi sulla capacità di adattamento. Il governo si occupa principalmente della qualità della manodopera fornita per soddisfare le esigenze del mercato, nonché di garantire relazioni industriali pacifiche. La segmentazione del lavoro è un risultato naturale di un mercato poco regolamentato. Beneficiato da un’economia relativamente stabile, la disoccupazione negli ultimi due decenni è stata per lo più contenuta, ma è stata altresì osservata una crescente dualizzazione caratterizzata con un divario dei redditi, nonché dall’aumento del lavoro precario. La recente pandemia di COVID-19 sta causando una crisi economica improvvisa e inaspettata. Anche se con misure ad hoc, è stata comunque perpetuata la tradizionale ridotta regolamentazione del mercato del lavoro. In attesa di ulteriori iniziative del governo, la fine degli incentivi all’occupazione a partire da dicembre peggiorerà sicuramente la situazione. Il risultato sarà un’ulteriore dualizzazione.

Keywords:Mercato del lavoro, dualizzazione, segmentazione, Hong Kong, pandemia Covid-19

  1. Atkinson J. (1987). Flexibility or fragmentation? The United Kingdom labour market in the eighties. Labour and Society, 12(1): 87-105.
  2. Bauhinia Foundation Research Centre (2018). The future of self-financing institutions: Associate’s vs. Bachelor’s Degree. Hong Kong: Bauhinia Foundation Research Foundation.
  3. Benson J (2016). Labour market regulation in Asia: The growing dominance of market-based mechanisms?. In: D. Brodie, N. Busby and R. Zahn, eds., The Future Regulation of work: New concepts, new paradigms. London: Palgrave: 107-124.
  4. Benson J., Debroux P. (2003). Flexible Labour Markets and Individualized Employment: The Beginnings of a New Japanese HRM System?. Asia Pacific Business Review, 9(4): 55-75. -- https://doi.org/10.1080/13602380312331288710
  5. Census and Statistics Department (various years). Annual Digest of Statistics. Hong Kong: Census and Statistics Department.
  6. Census and Statistics Department (2005). 2004 Gross Domestic Product. Hong Kong: Census and Statistics Department.
  7. Census and Statistics Department (2019a). Women and men in Hong Kong Key Statistics 2019 Edition. Hong Kong: Census and Statistics Department.
  8. Census and Statistics Department (2019b). Thematic Household Survey Report No.66 – Training needs for economically active persons. Hong Kong: Census and Statistics Department.
  9. Census and Statistics Department (2020). 2019 Gross Domestic Product. Hong Kong: Census and Statistics Department.
  10. Chan R.K.H. (2003). The sustainability of Asian welfare systems after the financial crisis: Reflections on the case of Hong Kong, Asian Journal of Social Sciences, 31, 2: 172-198.
  11. Chan R.K.H. (2016). From Transitional to Permanent Uncertainty: Employability of Middle-aged Workers in Hong Kong. Asian Social Work and Policy Review, 10: 358-374. -- https://doi.org/10.1111/aswp.12104
  12. Chan R.K.H., Chan C.K.C. (2013). The shifting boundary between work and welfare–a review of active labour market policies in Hong Kong. Journal of Asian Public Policy, 6(1): 26-41. -- https://doi.org/10.1080/17516234.2013.765178
  13. Cheung K.C.-K., Chou K.L. (2016). Working poor in Hong Kong. Social Indicators Research, 129: 317-335. -- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-015-1104-5
  14. Coe N.M., Johns J. and Ward K. (2011). Transforming the Japanese Labour Market: Deregulation and the Rise of Temporary Staffing. Regional Studies, 45(8): 1091-1106. DOI: 10.1080/0034340100371342
  15. Cooney S., Lindsey T., Mitchell R. and Zhu Y. (2002). Labour law and labour market regulation in East Asian state: problems and issues for comparative inquiry. In: S. Conney, T. Lindsey, R. Mitchell and Y. Zhu, eds., Law and labour market regulation in East Asia. New York, NY: Routledge: 1-26.
  16. Doeringer P.B., Piore M.J. (1971). Internal labor markets and manpower analysis. Lexington, MA: Heath.
  17. Eichhorst W., Marx P. (2011). Reforming German labour market institutions: A dual path to flexibility. Journal of European Social Policy, 21(1): 73-87. https://doi.org/10.1177/0958928710385731
  18. Eichhorst W., Marx P. and Wehner C. (2017). Labor market reforms in Europe: towards more flexicure labor markets?. Journal of Labour Market Research, 51(1): 1-17. -- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12651-017-0231-7
  19. Goos M., Manning A. (2003). Lousy and lovely jobs: The rising polarization of working in Britain. London: London School of Economics and Political Science Centre for Economic Performance.
  20. Gospel H. (2011). Labout markets in theory and practice: perspectives from Western industrial countries. In: Benson J., Zhu. Y., eds., The Dynamics of Asian Labour Markets: Balancing Control and Flexibility. London: Routledge: 11-32.
  21. Gwartney J., Lawson R., Hall J. and Murphy R. (2019). Economic Freedom of the World: 2019 Annual Report. Vancouver: Fraser Institute.
  22. IMD (2020). IMD World Competitive Yearbook 2020. Lausanne: IMD.
  23. Jayasuriya K., ed. (1999). Law, capitalism and power in Asia. London: Routledge.
  24. Kalleberg A.L. (2003). Flexible firms and labor market segmentation: effects of workplace restructuring on jobs and workers. Work and Occupations, 30(2): 154-175. -- https://doi.org/10.1177/0730888403251683
  25. Kuruvilla S.C. (1995). Economic development strategies, industrial relations policies and workplace IR/HR practices in Southeast Asia. In: Wever K.S., Turner L., eds., The Comparative Political Economy, Madison, WI: Industrial Relations Research Association: 115-150.
  26. Labour Department (various years). Annual Report. Hong Kong: Labour Department.
  27. Lam C. (2020). The 2020 Policy Address: Striving Ahead with Renewed Perseverance. Delivered by the Hon. Carrie Lam. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Government.
  28. Legislative Council (2012). Before and After the Statutory Minimum Wage Ordinance in Hong Kong: Survey of Low-income Workers and their Families: Executive Summary. --Retrieved from: www.legco.gov.hk/yr11-12/english/panels/mp/papers/mp0529cb2-1960-2-e.pdf
  29. Legislative Council (2016). Challenges of manpower adjustment in Hong Kong (Research brief issue No.4, 2015-2016). Hong Kong: Legislative Council Research Office.
  30. Legislative Council (2019). Manpower statistical highlight (ISSH06/19-20). Hong Kong: Legislative Council.
  31. Legislative Council (2020a). Item for Finance Committee (New Item “Anti-Epidemic Fund”) FCR (2019-20)46. Hong Kong: Legislative Council.
  32. Legislative Council (2020b). Item for Finance Committee FCR (2020-21)2. Hong Kong: Legislative Council.
  33. Li J. (2019). Precarious work and labor market segmentation: a comparative study on mainland China and Hong Kong. The Journal of Chinese Sociology, 6: 1-22. -- https://doi.org/10.1186/s40711-019-0105-1
  34. Lindbeck A., Snower D.J. (2001). Insiders versus Outsiders. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 15(1): 165-188.
  35. Ng S.H., Ip O.K.M. (2013). Workforce development and skill formation in Hong Kong: The challenge to voluntarism in a new post‐industrial economy. In: J. Benson, H. Gospel and Y. Zhu, eds., Workforce development and skill formation in Asia. London: Routledge: 115-141.
  36. Rueda D. (2012). Debate: Dualisation and Crisis. Swiss Political Science Review, 18(4): 523-530.
  37. Rueda D. (2014). Dualisation, crisis and the welfare state. Socio-Economic Review, 12(2): 381-407.
  38. Tam M.Y.M. (2014). It is not just a matter of having the time: job-related training participation of Hong Kong employees. Journal of Education and Work, 27(5): 524-543. -- https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2013.780123
  39. Tam M.Y.M., Chiu S. (2010). Job training provision by employers – An institutional analysis of employees in Hong Kong. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 21: 2194-2217. DOI: 10.1080/09585192.2010.50962
  40. Tsang D. (2000). The 2000–2001 Budget. Speech by the Financial Secretary, the Hon. Donald Tsang. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Government.
  41. Tsang D. (2006). Big Market, Small Government. -- Retrieved from www.ceo.gov.hk/archive/2012/eng/press/oped.htm (accessed October 26, 2020).
  42. Tsang J.C. (2009). The 2009–2010 Budget. Speech by the Financial Secretary, the Hon. John C Tsang. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Government.
  43. Tung C.H. (2004). The 2004 Policy Address: Seizing Opportunities for Development, Promoting People-based Governance. Delivered by the Hon. Tung Chee Hwa. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Government.
  44. Yoon Y., Chung H. (2016). New Forms of Dualisation? Labour Market Segmentation Patterns in the UK from the Late 90s Until the Post-crisis in the Late 2000s. Social Indicators Research, 128(2): 609-631.

Raymond K.H. Chan, Labor Segmentation and Dualisation in Hong Kong in "SOCIOLOGIA DEL LAVORO " 159/2021, pp 172-194, DOI: 10.3280/SL2021-159009