Income disparity: Hong Kong implements benchmark

Benchmark to measure poverty finds almost 20% of residents living in such conditions in Hong kong

HONG KONG: Hong Kong on Saturday announced its first benchmark to measure poverty and found almost 20% of residents living in such conditions. The introduction of a poverty benchmark is a significant move for a densely populated metropolis known for its sky-high rents and home to one of largest wealth gaps in the world.

Chief Executive, Hong Kong Leung Chun-ying said that the government should raise the minimum wage along with implementing subsidies for those with low incomes so that people that come out to work can support their families. He said that the wealth gap in the country which is one of the world’s widest is worsening as the rich get richer and the poor struggle to make ends meet.

More than 170,000 people in Hong Kong live in cramped, cage-like, subdivided flats which underlines the scale of the city’s housing crisis.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th, 2013.

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