Living Smart

IV PUBLIC POLICY & SOCIAL SCIENCE 122 123 New blood key to our transformation Dr. XU Duoduo Former Research Assistant Professor, Division of Social Science T he Lantau Tomorrow Vision proposed in Chief Executive Carrie LAM CHENG Yuet-Ngor’ s policy address in October sparked criticism from skeptics that it was put forward to cater for the housing needs not of locals but of new immigrants. Immigration doubters worry the influx of a large number of immigrants, whom they believe are less educated, would burden our social welfare system and not bring much else. The rise of protectionism, a byproduct of the uncertainty and unrest brought on by globalization, has distorted attitudes toward immigration so much that they are now often disconnected from its actual impact. In fact, Hong Kong has always been an “immigrant society,” and without immigrants Hong Kong would not have developed into the world-class financial hub that it is today. While there are certainly highly skilled immigrants coming to our city, those with basic manual skills have long been the backbone of many sectors, such as catering and services, by taking up lower-skilled jobs the locals tend to shun. Empirical examples prove that immigrants are vital to economic growth of any societies. Despite the fact that less-educated immigrants are more likely to be trapped in elementary occupations, their children may not have such a gloomy future. Such children are performing unexpectedly well in school, notwithstanding their relatively disadvantaged socioeconomic status. Our research has proved that after controlling for family b a c k g r o u n d a n d o t h e r individual characteristics, such ch i l dren outper f orm the i r native counterparts in terms of standardized test scores. Their academic success can be largely explained by their strong motivation for a better life and aspirations f or upward mob i l i t y , wi th educational aspirations playing a particularly important role. A growing body of social science research has suggested that early investment in human capital is much more cost- effective than later remediation. If immigrant children underperform in the early stages, it is likely to have a detrimental and cumulative adverse impact on their future labor market performance. Thus, improving the educational outcomes of immigrant children would not only facilitate their assimilation into local society but also create valuable human capital that is essential for the SAR’ s sustainable growth. Once they have settled in, the second generation of immigrants would play a pivotal role in helping Hong Kong transform into a knowledge-based society. They would excel in prestigious occupations just like their native peers. After all, our birth rate has long been one of the lowest in the world and these young children of immigrants could be the new driving force of our economy with their educational achievements. Perhaps, it is time to go back to the basics: help immigrants, so that they can help us all. Published on January 02, 2019