The Commission on Poverty discussed measures to reduce household income disparity at its 25th meeting today.
Commission members were briefed by Commissioner for Census & Statistics Leslie Tang on the results of a 2016 study on household income distribution in Hong Kong.
Members noted the marked improvements in grassroots workers' income in the past five years, despite the slight increase in the Gini Coefficient income disparity measure for 2016, caused by the ageing population and an increase in small households.
They said the Government should continue to promote economic development and employment in order to sustain the wage growth of grassroots workers.
They also noted the Old Age Living Allowance scheme and a boost in public healthcare services have narrowed household income disparity in recent years.
They added they hope the disparity will be narrowed further after the Government enhances the OALA scheme and adopts other measures to improve retirement protection.
