LettersHong Kong excels at educating its youth. Now it must create the jobs to match

Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words. I refer to your report, “‘I kept crying’: Hong Kong grads struggle to find jobs as AI takes over” (June 10). Next month, thousands of students in Hong Kong will receive their Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) results, marking the culmination of years of hard work in pursuit of a university place. For decades, higher education has been regarded as a pathway to social mobility and better career prospects. Yet, many young people today wonder whether this promise still holds true. Since free education has been extended to 12 years in 2007, Hong Kong has built a highly educated workforce. The city’s literacy and educational attainment rates have improved significantly, contributing to its development as an international hub. However, as the number of university graduates continues to grow, graduate employment opportunities have not expanded at the same pace. The issue is not whether the higher education is worth it. Rather, Hong Kong faces a growing mismatch between graduates’ skills and opportunities available in the labour market. Many young people find themselves in positions unrelated to their fields of study, while others struggle to secure employment that fully utilises their qualifications. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence may further intensify these pressures by transforming entry-level jobs. Addressing this issue requires more than education reform alone. The government should place greater emphasis on creating quality employment opportunities for young people. Hong Kong’s unique position under “one country, two systems”, together with its role as a bridge between mainland China and the international community, gives it advantages in expanding opportunities for graduates. To achieve this, the government should make better use of the Belt and Road Initiative and increase Hong Kong’s overseas presence through its Economic and Trade Offices. These platforms could help create internship, exchange and employment opportunities for young professionals in emerging markets, particularly in the Middle East and Central Asia. Such efforts would broaden career prospects while strengthening Hong Kong’s international connections. As an externally-oriented economy, this city must continue to create pathways for its young talent to thrive beyond its borders. Higher education remains an important investment. However, ensuring that graduates can translate their knowledge into meaningful careers should be an equally important policy priority. Wallace Loo, Sheung Shui China must be ready for EV battery recycling needs We refer to your report, “EVs capture two-thirds of China’s car market in record-breaking week” (June 12). As these cars emit far less roadside exhaust, residents should breathe easier. According to a study led by Professor Meng Gao at Baptist University, the switch to new-energy vehicles had cut by 2023 urban PM2.5, the fine soot that harms the lungs, by almost a quarter and prevented an estimated 262,000 premature deaths. Yet electric cars do not last forever. As they reach the end of their useful life, their spent batteries pile up – as much as a million tonnes a year by 2030, according to one estimate. Without proper handling, much of this could flow to unlicensed, informal recyclers that undercut licensed ones, skipping environmental safeguards and risking heavy metals leaching into soil and water. It is timely that Hong Kong has committed to its first large-scale EV battery-recycling plant. On the mainland, new rules require digital traceability, so retired batteries are tracked to licensed recyclers and kept away from the grey market. Yet processing a million tonnes of used batteries will demand capacity far beyond today’s to be built ahead of the retiring vehicles. The same national effort that put these clean cars on the road should now build and scale up a system that properly recycles their spent batteries into new ones. Siyue Wu and Cheng Peng (students) and Simon Wang (lecturer), Baptist University Data centres must be made more energy efficient The environmental impact of artificial intelligence is widely known. A newly released United Nations report has now exposed its carbon, water and land footprints. Among 20 of the world’s largest data centre hubs, Hong Kong has the third-highest carbon-intensive grids due to its heavy reliance on fossil fuels. The carbon footprint of its grid was 43 per cent above the global average. More than 11,800 AI data centres are operating globally, according to an industry estimate in 2024. Hong Kong has 61 data centres in operation. It is expected to have 81 built by the end of 2030, including the largest, the Sandy Ridge data facility cluster. We probably cannot avoid the accelerating growth of AI demand, but there are ways to minimise its threat to our warming planet. The Hong Kong government and AI-related businesses must reduce our carbon footprint by enhancing the energy and water efficiency of data centres. First, we must mandate power usage effectiveness (PUE) standards for existing and coming data centres. The lower the PUE number, the higher the energy efficiency. Mandatory disclosure of PUE will drive improvements in performance. Second, we need innovation. Data centres can be put in locations where they can make good use of natural cooling. In early June, for example, China launched the world’s first commercial-scale underwater data centre powered by an offshore wind farm off the Shanghai coast. Third, there should be continuous public education on AI’s environmental impact. A short query posted to AI generally consumes 2.9 watt-hours of electricity, which is almost 10 times more than the energy used for the traditional internet search. Understanding the impact will help us make better decisions. Edwin Lau Che-feng, founder, The Green Earth