The people of Hong Kong are happier in general now than they were a year ago, Lingnan's annual Happiness Poll has found. Incomes are climbing. The financial outlook has improved. But the gains in feelings of well being could come under threat as people work themselves harder to come out of the financial meltdown of 2008-09, says Professor Ho Lok-sang.

The threat arises, says Professor Ho, because the work-life balance is becoming skewed in favor of more work, less leisure.

The climate, he declares, underscores the need for Hong Kong to set standard working hours.

At the unveiling of his school's latest Happiness Index Survey, Ho said, "There have been significant increases in happiness among income earners within the lowest income group with small increases among the highest income group."

Most of the city's workers are working and investing at full steam. They no longer feel skittish about the threat of a double dip recovery locally, according to the poll. And people are back on track, earning money. Making money, the survey found, was the second most favored activity, after reading, among the 834 local respondents to the survey. The university's 2009 poll put making money in eleventh place among favored activities.

The city's unemployment rate returned to 4.2 percent during the second quarter, down from 4.6 percent in June. Total employment surpassed the lows seen at the onset of the financial meltdown, for the first time. Busier people were not necessarily happier though, Ho said.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents thought 40-hour work weeks were acceptable but their dedication shriveled when they worked up to nearly 60 hours. And only about a third found it acceptable to work more than 60 hours a week.

Social engagement also appeared to have dropped off among every age group in comparison to findings over the previous two annual polls. Ho said the findings reveal that people are not as involved as they once were in personal development and/or contributing to the community through volunteer work.

Volunteering had topped the most favored activity list in 2009. This year it had dropped to eighth place.

Still in the midst of the battle for a HK$33/hour minimum wage, HK$5 more than the government's approved HK$28 rate, labor lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan said his union party would pressure the government to legislate standard working hours to safeguard the city's grass roots workers.

While educated workers may receive extra compensation for working dreadful hours, they still are not pleased at having to work extended hours, according to the poll. In general, the more educated workers were less happy than workers with lower education. Ho attributed the differential to what he called "gaps between expectation and reality".

China Daily

(HK Edition 11/23/2010 page1)