With Hong Kong so focused on attracting top talent and investors, a shortage of other human resources and services can slip under the radar – until gripes about it go public.
A case in point is to be found in a Consumer Council report that complaints topped 40,000 for the first time last year, driven by grievances over under-resourced food and entertainment services.
They were inflated by complaints about football great Lionel Messi’s failure to play in a heavily advertised exhibition match, and the collapse of the Physical fitness chain.
But even excluding the Messi incident, the food and entertainment services category still drew most complaints with 4,335 cases, an 11 per cent year-on-year rise, with most related to service quality and cost disputes.
Unfortunately for Hong Kong’s ongoing post-pandemic economic recovery, the report attributed the high number of complaints to severe staff shortages in the food and drink industry – estimated at 30,000 to 40,000 workers.
As the watchdog pointed out, both locals – the backbone of demand in the industry – and tourists suffered from pressure on service standards from the shortage.
Sadly, among tourists, the food and drink industry drew the most complaints. That is not good news for a pillar of the city’s economy.
