Government likely to boost child-support measures amid drop in births

In tandem with increased efforts to attract more talent to Hong Kong, the government has also been encouraging more births among families in the city.

Despite experiencing a slight growth in resident population compared to four years ago, the city had just recorded a new low in births.

Sources indicated that the Policy Address set to be announced on Wednesday will likely extend measures aimed at encouraging couples to have more children.

Mr and Mrs. Cheung, who gave birth to their daughter at the start of last year, had applied for the government's one-off cash allowance of 20,000 dollars for newborn babies.

Mrs. Cheung said she chose to give birth at home, calling the 20,000-dollar allowance a helpful financial boost for her family.

The Cheung couple said raising a child requires a massive increase in expenses, adding they will not consider having another baby unless they receive additional government support.

Mrs. Cheung expressed her frustration at the government for dropping a number of newborn-supporting policies, while highlighting the Singaporean government's recent increase of child support that could cover educational fees until university.

Starting in 2023, the current administration has rolled out a package of newborn-encouraging measures, consisting of the 20,000 dollar-cash allowance, designated tax deductions and additional quotas for child support.

Despite the government's newborn-friendly policies, Hong Kong's birth rate has dropped continuously since 2024.

The figure dropped to a record low of below 30,000 newborns between the middle of last year and the middle of this year.

With the government's 20,000 dollar-cash allowance scheme set to be completed by October this year, sources indicated that the new Policy Address will likely prolong the measure to encourage births.

The policy could also be updated to encourage bigger families by increasing the cash allowance for each new baby.