The Government today released the results of the 2015 Study on Earnings Mobility.
The key results were presented to the Commission on Poverty at its meeting on April 25.
The study analysed the earnings mobility of post-secondary graduates from grassroots families in Hong Kong.
The target groups comprised post-secondary graduates from the 2001/02, 2006/07 and 2011/12 academic years who received means-tested student finance.
The study found substantial upward earnings mobility was enjoyed by first degree graduates from the 2001/02 and 2006/07 cohorts. Specifically, for the 2001/02 cohort, the median graduate could rise by eight income categories within 10 years.
For first degree graduates, 62% of the 2001/02 cohort could reach the 80th percentile of the income distribution or higher within 10 years, and 80% could reach the 70th percentile or higher.
Sub-degree graduates or below for the 2001/02 cohort also enjoyed substantial upward earnings mobility. The median publicly funded graduate could rise by eight income categories within 10 years, while the median self-financing graduate could rise by 10 categories.
Degree graduates for the 2001/02 cohort had better long-run earnings prospects than sub-degree graduates or below. Of the 2001/02 graduates who started in the middle quintile of the income distribution, 28% of publicly funded and 39% of self-financing sub-degree graduates or below could reach the top quintile by 2013/14.
For first degree graduates and postgraduates, these percentages were 64% and 71%.
The study, the fourth of a series of similar studies in recent years, was conducted by the Economic Analysis & Business Facilitation Unit of the Financial Secretary's Office in collaboration with the Census & Statistics Department, using data from the Inland Revenue Department and the Student Finance Office of the Working Family & Student Financial Assistance Agency.
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