'Ethnic Minorities Severely Affected By Covid'

A group focusing on the rights of ethnic minorities said on Tuesday that this section of society has been disproportionately affected during the fifth Covid wave, experiencing far higher unemployment than the general population.

Unison said its survey, carried out between March and April, found that almost half of the 937 ethnic minority people polled had lost their jobs and 14 percent of them were underemployed.

"In the period February to April 2022, Hong Kong's unemployment rate was 5.4 percent whereas the unemployment rate of ethnic minorities was significantly higher. Close to 50 percent reported having lost their jobs due to the fifth wave of Covid-19," it said.

The NGO also noted that ethnic minority families overall earned much less than the general population, with 57 percent of them living below the 2020 poverty line.

It said current measures alleviating poverty do not cater for ethnic minorities, and recommended authorities provide food bank services with halal food.

Additionally, the group found that many ethnic minority students lacked access to resources to fully participate in online teaching during the fifth wave, which put them in a very difficult position.

Unison said around 43 percent indicated the need for Chinese learning support, and almost 80 percent of respondent families requested online devices and internet connections to cope with internet learning.

“Obviously the government must spend more resources in ensuring that ethnic minority students have access to and equipment for online education. Otherwise, their learning will be negatively affected," said John Tse, the group's executive director.