Hong Kong Stats: Work

Our series on the facts and figures that tell us about Hong Kong culture, politics and industry continues with this instalment, regarding the statistics related to working life in Hong Kong. As one of the major financial centres in the world, with low taxes and near free port trade, it is unsurprising that these figures indicate an area a-buzz with activity.

The rate of employment in Hong Kong is a healthy 60.4%. That is split across 68.7% of men and 53.4% of women. Numbers-wise that translates to just under 2 million men and around 1.8 million women in steady work. Those statistics have held quite solidly through the global recession of the last few years. The 2006 rate of employment was only a small shade higher at 61.2% and, though it dipped down to 59.7% in 2010, the most recent figure shows it back on course.

As one would expect, the majority of workers are in the 25 – 44 age bracket (51.1%), then the 45 – 64 (38.9%), followed by the under 25s (8.5%). A small percentage of over 65s work in Hong Kong. The number of officially unemployed people in Hong Kong is very small, just 126,000 of its population of over 7 million.

One of the reasons for Hong Kong's economic success is the wide variety of industries across which its population can work. The biggest employer is the import and export market, in which 14% of the workforce is employed. That is closely followed by social and personal services, which employs 11.1%, transportation, storage and courier services, which employs 8.9%, retail, which employs 8.6% and construction, employing 7.7%. Other crucial industries in Hong Kong are accommodation and catering, finance, insurance and education.

One industry that has seen a decrease in employment during the last few years is manufacturing. In 2006 it accounted for 4.6% of HK employment. Now that figure is down to 3.2%.

The Hong Kong nominal salary index has increased over the last six years. In 2006 it stood at 146.9. Now it is 178.1, a huge growth. The real salary index, when derived by deflating the corresponding nominal index by the 09/10 CPI, indicates a less dramatic growth, however: 144.6 to 151.1.

Hong Kong Stats: Geography and Population

For those interested in Hong Kong culture, history, geography and politics, this series will collect all of the most important facts and statistics about it. This first instalment will concentrate on the geographical make up of this historic region and its bustling population.

Geography Hong Kong is located at the south-eastern tip of China and has a total area of 1,104 square kilometres. That area is broken down into Hong Kong Island (80.6 square km), Kowloon (46.9 square km) and New Territories and Islands (976.9 square km). In terms of climate, it holds a mean air temperature of 25.6 Celsius for the whole year, with 31.4 peaks in July and 18.6 lows in winter. It also has a total rainfall of 2,398 mm annually.

Population The total population of Hong Kong is about 7.1 million. That breaks down into around 3.3 million men and 3.8 million women. The majority are in the 35 – 64 age bracket (about 3.3 million), with the second most being in the 15 – 34 bracket (1.9 million). Around 837,000 Hong Kongers are under 15, while around 935,000 are over 65.

In terms of the main events that govern these statistics, the number of births in Hong Kong in 2010 was 88,600. This was an increase on the previous two recorded figures of 82,100 in 2009 and 65,600 in 2006. With a death rate of just 42,200 in 2010, this shows that population, like everything else in Hong Kong, is booming.

The median age for first marriage in Hong Kong is fairly standard for a first world region. Men, on average, get married at 31 while women tend to tie the knot at 29. In terms of where the population lives, there are over 2 million separate households across the three main areas of Hong Kong. Kowloon is by far the most densely populated area, with 44,760 people per square km. Hong Kong Island comes second with 16,320 people per square mile. The New Territories and Islands boast 3,880 people per square km. That makes the total population density of Hong Kong 6,580 people per square km.

Hong Kong Restaurants: Fast Food

Hong Kong culture is centred on big business, bustling nightlife and great food. Our last instalment looked at the best restaurants for those looking to splash the cash. This time around we're looking at the most mouth watering guilty pleasures to be found in Hong Kong, with a roundup of the top fast food joints.

Paisano's (9 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central or 27 Chan Man Street, Sai Kung) The best pizza slices in Hong Kong are, in our humble opinion, to be found at either of the two Paisano's. Here you get a big, hunger busting slice of thin, New York style pizza. Perfect for those looking to grab and go.

Beyrouth (39 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central) Very popular and very packed (especially during lunch time when the office crowd rolls in) this is a fun place to wolf down some Middle Eastern cuisine. King of the menu is the ever popular Shawarma, with a choice of marinated beef, chicken or lamb filled pita, smothered in garlic and chilli sauce.

The Chippy (51A Wellington Street, Central) The UK's influence on Hong Kong culture is not just to be found in the financial sector but also in the food. As with afternoon tea and custard tarts, the British also introduced HK to fish and chips and, unsurprisingly, there are plenty of great chippys dotted around the city. One of the best is named, helpfully, The Chippy where you can get sole or cod, a stack of thick chips and mushy peas for a very fair price.

Chungking Mansions (36 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui) The samosa is famous across the world and, when you bite into a good one, it is not hard to see why. The mixture of deep fired dough, spices, meat and veg tastes like a whole meal compacted into a bite-size little triangle. The tastiest in Hong Kong can be found on the ground floor of Chungking Mansions, where the food stall vendors stock samosa along with lots of other deep fried savouries and chai. Expect to spend about $5 a pop for each snack.

Hong Kong Restaurants: Big Budget

With a mixture of some of the best Cantonese restaurants in the world, some of the best Italian restaurants outside Italy, some of the best French bistros outside France and a host of world class street vendors, Hong Kong's selection of eateries is quite dazzling. Here are some of the best Hong Kong restaurants going, for those who like to splash the cash when they dine out.

On Lot 10 (34 Gough Street, Central) Located on Gough Street, this is a wonderful, unpretentious French restaurant, the brainchild of chef David Lai. The main specialities are big, family sized platters of gorgeous chicken or fish. Our recommendations are the fantastic roast chicken, which comes as the entire bird chopped up into pieces, the seafood soup and the veal kidneys.

Island Tang (Shop 222, The Galleria, Queen's Road Central, Central) While On Lot 10 is deliberately unfussy in its decor, the same cannot be said for the extravagant Island Tang. This uber-posh Chinese restaurant is so elegant it hurts, kitted out in plush retro decor. All of that would not matter a damn if the food didn't match. Luckily a terrific menu of Chinese staples perfectly compliment the surroundings. The top eats are a barbecued pork dripping in a coating of honey and a succulent though crisp deep fried duck.

Otto e Mezzo (Shop 202, Landmark Alexandria, 18 Chater Road, Central) World famous chef/ genius Umberto Bombana's baby is this grand homage to Italian cookery, the first Italian restaurant outside of Italy to be awarded three Michelin stars. Bombana believes in rich, full, hearty dishes, dripping with all the sensuality and emotion of the best Italian cookery. The entire menu is worth a try but the marinated scampi with caviar and sea urchin is a particularly unique and recommended meal.

Fook Lam Moon (Shop 3, GF, Newman House, 35-45 Johnston Road, Wan Chai) Fook Lam Moon is well known all over Hong Kong for being the favoured spot for the cities most wealthy and beautiful. It sucking pig is so famous that you need to book it in advance to make sure it's not sold out by the time you get there. Also try the delicious baked stuffed crab shells.