Will fixing Hong Kong’s childcare bottleneck help lift the city’s birth rate?

Following the birth of her second child, Hong Kong nurse Erica Lam made securing daycare for her unborn daughter a top priority due to the shortage of available spots in childcare centers. Despite early attempts, Lam's daughter Ho-yan only enrolled in a subsidized day care program when she was eight months old, while her elder son had yet to secure a place.

With both children requiring care, Lam and her husband continued working. Lam emphasized that daycare support is crucial for working parents, as the government's encouragement of childbirth has not yet resulted in a significant increase in birth rates. In mid-2025 to mid-2026, Hong Kong recorded 29,700 births, a 15.6% decrease from the previous year's 35,200 births.

SKH St Christopher’s Home, a social welfare group, has urged the government to provide better childcare support to meet the demand. With a capacity to enroll 88 children under three, the center's waiting list has grown to over 70 applicants, demonstrating the high demand for the service. As of the first quarter of 2026, 553 childcare centers in the city served 43,000 children, with no record of waiting times due to separate handling by various operators.

Working parents prioritize time spent with their children, according to Hong Ho-ching, the service director of SKH St Christopher’s Home. He suggested the government consider placing social workers at each daycare center to provide comprehensive support to families, as the stress faced by working parents is often overlooked. Lawmaker Nixie Lam Lam has called for the government to place a resident social worker at every daycare center, aiming to improve accessibility and support for working parents in raising their children.