00:00Tony Chu just turned 70.
00:02He's been waiting tables at this restaurant for the past seven years
00:06and goes by the nickname Choo Zai or Little Pig.
00:09When he retired at 60, he says no company would hire him except for Ginkgo House,
00:14a social enterprise and restaurant chain that provides jobs for the elderly.
00:19He's one of nearly 300 elderly people working there.
00:22In Hong Kong, more than one in five people are aged 65 or above.
00:26It's projected to hit one in three by 2046.
00:30According to the Census and Statistics Department,
00:33Hong Kong does not have a statutory retirement age,
00:35but companies typically set it between 60 and 65.
00:39Seniors often work to fight boredom and loneliness.
00:42But in a city with a limited social security net,
00:45many rely on an income to make ends meet.
00:48Last year, policymakers unveiled a string of silver economy incentives
00:52to keep elderly citizens in the workforce.
00:55But many companies are still reluctant to hire seniors
00:57due to higher training and insurance costs.
01:00The waiter at Ginkgo House may have reached the age
01:02when most people slow down.
01:04But he wants to prove age is just a number until it's not.
01:09I think I'll continue to work on it.
01:12I'll continue to work on it.
01:12I'll continue to work on it.
01:15I'll continue to work on it.
01:16As the city's demographics shift,
01:19the challenge is clear,
01:20keeping more little pigs in the workforce
01:23to save its aging economy.
Comments