香港特区人口老龄化及老年市民对退休保障的需求

Population Aging and the Need of Senior Citizens for Retirement Security in Hong Kong

香港正面对人口老龄化带来的危机,其中如何保障老年市民免于贫乏的问题尤为严峻。就此,香港特区政府的扶贫委员会于2013年委托香港大学社会工作及社会行政学系进行有关香港退休保障的未来发展的研究。经过审视政团和民间组织所提出的不同退休保障未来发展方案后,研究团队认为香港特区政府应引入全民老年金,其优势在于:能得到市民普遍接受;财政承担上也较公平和可持续;推行时亦不会大幅增加行政费用;而最重要的是,能使现在及未来的老年市民每月均有稳定和可靠的收入。

Hong Kong is facing a crisis of a rapidly growing aging population and the serious need of preventing senior citizens from falling into poverty. The Department of Social Work and Social Administration at the University of Hong Kong was given the task in 2013 by the Commission on Poverty of the Hong Kong SAR Government to study the future development of retirement security in Hong Kong. This article summarizes the findings of the study, which was completed a year later.In short, the research team of the study recommends the introduction of universal old age pension as it is socially most acceptable, financially fair and sustainable, and incurring the least administrative costs. The universal old age pension is also seen as the most effective way to ensure present and future generations of senior citizens in Hong Kong of having a stable and secure income.