0

MIGRATION ISSUES OF

HONG KONG RELATED

TO HOUSING

Submitted By: Group C

NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY University Scholars Programme, Jan 2015

1

Table  of  Contents  

1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 2

2. Singapore Case Study ............................................................................................ 3

2.1 Housing Policies ........................................................................................ 3

2.2 Immigration Policies ................................................................................. 5

3. Hong Kong Case Study .......................................................................................... 6

3.1 Housing Policies ........................................................................................ 6

3.2 Immigration Policies ................................................................................. 6

4. Similarities between Hong Kong and Singapore ................................................. 6

5. Analysis of Singapore and Hong Kong policies ................................................... 9

6. Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 10

7. Appendices ........................................................................................................... 14

2

1. Introduction  

Hong Kong is often compared to Singapore due to the vast number of similarities

between the two countries, such as their booming economic status and great

population density. In 2013, Hong Kong’s population density was 6,650 people per

square kilometre1 while it is that of 7,713 in Singapore2. Given that there is finite land

for both countries to house their residents, housing issue is indeed a cause of concern

for both countries.

In Hong Kong, a significant problem stemming from such a concern would be the

lack of affordable accommodation, as demand severely outweighs the supply of

housing. In Singapore, overcrowding has also become a political issue. Liberal

immigration policies have been blamed for generating a large influx of foreigners that

has led to a plethora of housing problems as well as social tension.

Our report will begin with a general overview of the different policies that both

governments use to approach their own housing and immigration issues. We will then

compare the two housing and immigration situations in Hong Kong and Singapore,

bringing to light the differences that lie behind their similarities.

In the report, we will also look at the limitations of strategies put forward by the two

countries and assess how both countries can adopt features from one another to

alleviate the housing situation while taking into account the differences between Hong

Kong and Singapore with regard to immigration.

1 Hong Kong: The Facts. 2 Population density (people per sq. km of land).

3

2. Singapore Case Study

2.1   Housing  Policies  

In Singapore, the Ministry of National Development (MND) takes charge of land

planning and works with the Housing and Development Board (HDB) in the area of

public housing, with an objective of providing all Singaporeans with affordable and

quality flats.3 One key tenet of Singapore’s housing policy is to encourage ownership

of flats so as to involve citizens in the development of their country.4

Year Approximate Number of Public Flats built by HDB

Percentage of Population Living In Public Flats

1968 90,000 9% 1975 150,000 42%

1978 500,000 70%

Table 1: Number of Public Flats built by HDB and Percentage of Population Living In Public Flats.5

2.1.1   Policies  to  ensure  affordability    

A main focus of housing policies is directed towards ensuring affordability of the flats.

In 1964, the MND implemented the Home Ownership for the People Scheme, which

sold flats at subsidized prices to citizens with low income.6 At the same time, the

government introduced policies to ensure that the lower-income elderly population

has adequate retirement funds, especially when life expectancy is increasing. The

Lease Buyback Scheme, for instance, allows the elderly owners of HDB flats to

receive a bounty when they sell a portion of their remaining lease back to the

government.7

3 Singapore Ministry of National Development, “Corporate Handbook: Growing Singapore into a Distinctive City,” December 2011, 4. MND was set up in 1959, after Singapore obtained self-rule from Britain. HDB was formed in 1960. 4 C.M Turnbull, A History of Modern Singapore 1819-2005, (Singapore: NUS Press, 2009) 317. 5 Yap, Lim and Leong, Men In White, 386-387 and Turnbull, A History of Modern Singapore, 317. 6 HDB InfoWeb: Public Housing in Singapore (Home Ownership Scheme). 7 HDB InfoWeb: Public Housing in Singapore (Lease Buyback Scheme).

4

Employers in the Singapore construction industry can import 7 foreign workers for

every local hired. These foreign workers command lower wages than locals, which

significantly lower the cost of production of building new flats, thus reducing the cost

of housing in Singapore. Currently, employers are already facing higher operational

cost as a result of recently tightened foreign worker inflows.

Table 2. Direct Impact of foreign labour restrictions on tend growth in Singapore from Credit Suisse estimates. According to a survey conducted by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce

and Industry, 70% of the construction industry is seriously affected by the tightened

labour policy. It is evident that affordability of housing in Singapore is very

dependent on importing cheap foreign labour to lower the construction costs.

2.2   Immigration  Policies  

Singapore has always been a melting pot of different cultures in the world due to its

strategic location for maritime trade. In a dialogue with Dr. Cherian George, he

mentioned that the city-state was “cosmopolitan and multi-cultural” before it was

5

being recognized as “Singapore”.8 The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) takes charge of

the immigration of low-skilled labour in Singapore. Since the first decade of the 21st

century, there has been an increasing pool of nonresident population in Singapore.

(Appendix- Table 1) This was a consequence from a string of policies to attract and

rely on foreign manpower to overcome the constraints of local human capital.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, about 870,000 of the immigration

population are low-skilled workers primarily in the construction, domestic labor,

services, manufacturing, and marine industries.9 Year Total Labour Force No. of Foreign workers Percent of total

labour force 1970 650,892 20,828 3.2 1980 1,077,090 119,483 7.4 1990 1,537,000 248,200 16.1 2000 2,192,300 615,700 28.1 2010 3,135,900 1,088,600 34.7

Table 3: Increasing percent of Foreign Workers in total labour force in Singapore.10

As shown above, Singapore relies heavily on foreign workers in its national

development. Because locals are reluctant to take up jobs that pay low wages, foreign

workers are often imported to fill these necessary positions. However, the Singapore

government has been cautious in its immigration policies; low-skilled foreign workers

are managed through the work-permit system, the dependency ceiling and the foreign-

worker levy. All these schemes aim at managing the low-skilled foreign workers such

that Singapore does not over-rely on foreign workers and ensures that locals still have

their rightful place in these industries.

8 Cherian George, Singapore The Air Conditioned Nation: Essays on the politics of comfort and control, (Singapore: Landmark Books, 2008) 170. 9 “Migration Policy Institute: Rapid Growth in Singapore's Immigrant Population Brings Policy Challenges”. 10 “Migration Policy Institute: Rapid Growth in Singapore's Immigrant Population Brings Policy Challenges”.

6

Table 4: Singapore’s Total Resident and Non-Resident Workforce11

Given the increasing friction between Singaporeans and new migrants, immigration is

a central topic of debate in Singapore.12 In response, the government has tightened

regulations pertaining to immigrant policies. A tricky equilibrium has to be struck to

balance the wishes of the citizens in building a resident-majority populace and that of

ensuring sufficient supply of workers in the housing industry. This will be elaborated

upon in Section 5.1 of this paper.

3. Hong Kong Case Study

3.1 Housing Policies

Hong Kong is ranked the second most expensive city to live and work in, mostly due

to its steep property and rental prices13. It faces a housing supply shortage as well as

the problem of housing unaffordability.

11 Ibid. 12 “The Workers’ Party: A Sustainable Singapore with a Dynamic Singaporean majority – MP Low Thia Khiang”. 13 Property prices: London ranked the world’s most expensive city.

7

Hong Kong can only develop a limited percentage of its land for housing due to its

mountainous terrains. In addition, there are large private holdings of conservation

areas which prevent Hong Kong from developing the land on these grounds. The

Country Parks Ordinance has included around 40 percent of Hong Kong's land,

meaning 40 percent of its land is not available for any development plans. The Hong

Kong Government suggested that adjacent islands can be connected through

reclamation and construction of bridges. However, environmental protection critics

strongly oppose this idea because nature will be affected. This will be elaborated in

section 5.2 later.

Hong Kong’s high housing prices also stems from Hong Kong’s economic history as

well as its government policies. From 1995 to 1997, Hong Kong’s housing faced a

hike in real prices. After 1997, its property market crashed. Prices plunged to new

lows and the housing transaction volume, which rose dramatically from 68,000 in

1995 to over 172,000 in 1997, saw a large fall to 85,000 the following year14. When

the Asian Financial Crisis hit, housing prices continued to fall until 2003. The fall in

demand for housing saw a slack in the planning and development of new estates.

When demand started to rise again, Hong Kong could not react in time due to

implementation lead time.

Hong Kong’s housing market is largely dominated by the private sector, of which

includes affluent property tycoons. They are able to partially control the housing

market to allow property prices to rise. In addition, with the Mainland Chinese

14 University of Pennsylvania. Attention, Speculators: Here’s a Lesson from Hong Kong’s Housing Bubble.

8

becoming more affluent, property investment immigration is now increasingly a

viable factor. With near-zero mortgage interest rates, holding on to an empty unit is

cheap, giving little incentive to owners to sell off their vacant units. Most do not rent

out the flats if they do not get the rent that they want15. Such factors stemming from

the private sector has contributed to an increase in Hong Kong’s housing prices.

To make housing more affordable for the poor, the Home Ownership Scheme was

implemented so that Hong Kong citizens would be able to purchase flats at subsidised

rates if they meet the income cap. Based on the latest data provided, about 46% of the

housing market involve public housing, of which 30.4% are public rental units and

only 15.5% are owned by the people16. Hence, the private sector plays an important

role in meeting the housing needs of the community.

3.2       Hong  Kong  Immigration  Policies  

Hong Kong’s low-skilled immigrants can be divided into three main bodies:

imported workers, foreign domestic helpers (FDH) and New Immigrants. FDHs will

not be discussed in this paper because of their limited influence on the housing

market.

3.2.1   Imported  workers  

Hong Kong’s supplementary labour scheme (SLS) is administered by the Labour

Department of the HKSAR. To import workers under the SLS, employers need to

apply at the Application Office of the Labour Department for approval. This scheme

was implemented to help Hong Kong deal with the labour crunch, yet at the same

time protect the job prospects and wages of the locals by regulating the inflow.

15 Wouter van Marie, Tai Po. No housing shortage in Hong Kong, just not enough affordable flats. 16 Hong Kong Housing Authority. Housing in Figures.

9

Graph 1. Number of actual imported labour in Hong Kong from 1996 to 2012. Adapted from http://www.socialindicators.org.hk/en/indicators/employment_and_income_security/9.12 Because of SLS, as well as the General Importation of Labour Scheme among many

others, Hong Kong has significantly reduced its number of imported workers from

12869 in 1996 to 2415 in 2012. 17

Through primary research18, it was obvious that Hong Kong is reluctant to import

low-skilled workers. Despite the labour crunch, the CIC showed little intention to hire

foreign workers but rather rely on research and development in new technologies to

improve efficiency of the construction industry in Hong Kong. This finding

corroborates the above quantitative data of the imported labour in Hong Kong.

3.2.2   New  Immigrants  

New Immigrants refer specifically to Mainland Chinese who migrate from China to

Hong Kong. They make up a significant proportion of the overall population

17 Social Indicators of Hong Kong. Number of imported labour (actual) 18 Our group visited the Construction Industry Council (CIC), a government organization that aims to strengthen and unite the construction industry in Hong Kong, and had a discussion session with relevant authorities there to learn more about their operations and policies.

10

increase19. The number of New Immigrants coming from Mainland China has been

increasing over the years. Currently, Hong Kong approves 150 applications a day via

the One-Way Permit (OWP)20, which means about 55,000 immigrants migrate to

Hong Kong from China every year. These new immigrants are often low-skilled21 and

are hardly able to afford the high housing prices in Hong Kong22. Since they must live

in Hong Kong for more than 7 years to become a Permanent Resident23, they are

unable to apply for public housing before that. About 40.2% of the new immigrants

are living in private residential flats and 38.3% are living in Housing Authority (HA)

public rental flats.

4. Similarities between Hong Kong and Singapore

4.1   Exorbitant  Housing  Prices  

Over the years, the prices in the residential property market have been rising

incessantly (Figure 5). This mainly occurs due to the overwhelming demand, which

heavily outweighs the supply of housing in these two countries. In both Singapore and

Hong Kong, a factor leading to the excessive housing prices includes substantial

investment in the property market from foreign investors from around the world. This

is mainly due to both countries having a low interest rates and nearly zero real

mortgage rates. Consequently, this result in low borrowing costs, which aided by

positive economic outlook, has attracted investments from around the world into the

19 CNN. Migrants shaping Hong Kong’s new face. 20 Births and inflow of One-way Permit holders (OWPHs) were important constituents of the overall population increase. The number of births from mid-2013 to mid-2014 was 58 700 and the inflow of OWPHs was 43 500. 21 Immigration Department, Government of Hong Kong SAR. Arrangement for Entry to Hong Kong from Mainland China. 22 Only 5.8% of the adult new arrivals had a university or higher level of education; over half (55.1%) had a junior high school level education or below. Most of the employed adult new arrivals committed were service and sales workers or elementary workers. 23 Verification of Eligibility for a Permanent Identity Card.

11

market for housing (Chin & Strand, 2008). The influx of such investments has placed

immense pressure on the prices of residential properties in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Figure 5: House Prices in Hong Kong per Square Metre

In Hong Kong, the average cost of housing is about S$22,814 per square metre while

it is that of S$15,21 in Singapore, both countries topping the chart among 11 countries

24 25. According to research done by Savills Singapore, purchases by foreigners had

accounted for around 23% of the total residential property sales transactions in

Singapore in the first half of Quarter 4 2012. However, due to effective cooling

measures conducted by the Singapore government such as the implementation of

Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty, the percentage of foreign buyers in the private

residential market has fallen over the years. On the other hand, the Hong Kong

government has also implemented cooling measures such as the Stamp Duty and

Loan to Value. However, such measures are not as effective in curbing rocketing

24 Global Property Guide. Square Metre Prices – Singapore Compared to Continent. 25 Agarwal, S., et al. A cost analysis of prices of houses in Singapore.

12

housing prices, as the Hong Kong housing market is still one that mainly operates

freely and the government does not have as much space to intervene.

Figure 6: Percentage of Foreign Buyers in the Private Residential Market in Singapore

4.2   Disinclination  towards  the  Construction  Industry  

There has been an increasing trend of reluctance to join the construction industry,

especially amongst the youths in both Hong Kong and Singapore. According to a

statement by the Singapore Business Federation chief executive Ho Meng Kit,

companies in sectors like construction still face difficulty in hiring locals (Teh, 2012).

Figure 7: Employed Residents Aged Fifteen Years and Over by Industry, Age and Sex, June 2013 (in

thousands). Source: Ministry of Manpower in Singapore

13

As illustrated from data taken from the MOM in Singapore, the total local labour

force comprises of only 101,900 workers in the construction industry. According to a

statement by the Singapore Business Federation chief executive Ho Meng Kit,

companies in sectors like construction still face difficulty in hiring locals (Teh, 2012).

Likewise, we found out that Hong Kong faces the same labour shortage problem from

an interview we conducted at the CIC. Statements made by CIC mentioned that there

are about 320,000 registered construction workers but only about 70,000 of these

workers are active (Siu, 2014). This emphasizes the unwillingness of locals to work

in the construction industry that thus leads to an acute shortage of labour faced by the

Hong Kong construction industry.

Figure 8: A CIC Advertisement at a Bus Stop. Source: CIC Facebook Page

However, one differing point between Hong Kong and Singapore with regards to this

disinclination that we have noted is that the CIC takes active measures to encourage

the local Hong Kong citizens to take up job vacancies in the construction industry.

Figure 8 shows a typical advertisement at one of the bus stop in Hong Kong. This was

done in light of Hong Kong’s foreign labour policy that makes it extremely difficult

to hire low-skilled foreign labour. Furthermore, CIC endorses young passionate

14

adults, called “Build Up Ambassadors”, to promote the construction industry to the

public. Hence, Singapore is also recommended to look inward and employ measures

to enhance the attractiveness of the construction industry so that it can compete with

more “glamorous” sectors such as the financial sector in hiring local workers.

5. Analysis of Singapore and Hong Kong housing and immigration policies

Over the years, the Singapore and Hong Kong government have been using different

policies to manage their respective housing markets. However, they have led to the

same situation of high property prices26. Singapore has promoted home ownership

through the passage of time while Hong Kong has deviated from this original scheme

after the Asian Financial Crisis and the SARS epidemic. This part of the report will

focus on the limitations of their policies adopted in alleviating problems plaguing

housing markets. We will focus first on Singapore then on Hong Kong.

5.1   Singapore’s  immigration  and  housing  policies  

On the backing of the Singapore government’s strong push for home ownership,

citizens were able to own houses with the aid of government loans, subsidies and CPF

policies as mentioned in the first part of this paper. However, this was made possible

only with high reliance on imported labour. This reliance is not without

consequences. The increase in foreign construction workers have contributed to the

increase in social tension, especially with the recent SBS bus workers strike27 and the

Little India riots28 which involved huge numbers of imported labourers currently

residing in Singapore.

26 “Prices have more than doubled since 2008”. 27 102 SMRT bus drivers refuse to go to work. 28 Little India riot: 18 injured, 27 arrested.

15

Even with a heavy reliance on imported labour to overcome local labour shortages,

Singapore’s housing prices has grown persistently due to an initial free-market policy,

which enabled overseas investors to invest in Singapore29. On one hand, it is argued

that appreciating housing prices serve as an asset that increases in value for retiring

citizens. This can contribute to retirement security especially with the lease buy back

scheme as mentioned earlier30. On the other hand, the benefit of such a policy still lies

with those who can own multiple properties. This leads to social inequity, which has

been reflected in Singapore’s consistently high Gini Coefficient figures which figure

has placed Singapore in the 29th position out of 136 countries surveyed31. Such

income inequality has also been another source of social tension in Singapore.

Moving away from the explicit limitations of Singapore’s housing policy, we can

draw deeper insights of the housing issue. In our dialogue with Dr. Cherian George,

he neatly organized Hong Kong and Singapore society into a dichotomy.

Singaporeans have the power of the vote but lack initiative to lead collective action.

On the other hand, the idea of collective action is prevalent in Hong Kong even

though its citizens do not have the power of a sovereign vote32. In light of this,

Singaporeans’ common displeasure against the immigration policy has been mounting

but has yet to erupt into any sizeable collective action. With collective action a force

to be reckoned with in Hong Kong and the strong and highly influencing trade unions

29 Rethinking Singapore’s housing policies, TODAY newspaper – housing prices has been outstripping the increase in median wage. 30 Living in HDB flats: Maximise your finances you’re your flat. 31 Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook. 32 Hong Kong citizens can vote for their chief executive from a pool of applicants approved by the central government according to Article 45 of the Hong Kong Basic Law. The electorate, hence, is not an apt representation of the entire Hong Kong demographic. This problem was exemplified during the Occupy Central protests where Hong Kong citizens wanted to abolish the approval process by the central government.

16

present in the various industries, citizens in Hong Kong are able to mount a powerful

stance against relying on imported labour. This is an insight that we can learn from

Hong Kong.

A common thought between Singapore and Hong Kong is that of expectations. Prior

to the trip to Hong Kong, our group was confused as to why Hong Kong is not

actively relying on imported labour to solve their labour shortage – which has

contributed to higher housing prices. Our group ran interviews with many individuals

in the housing authority as well as professors in Hong Kong University (HKU) as

well as City University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and concluded that the answer was a

consistent one. Through the interviews, it is evident that young citizens of Hong

Kong, who face the brunt of steadily increasing housing prices, do not expect or look

forward to owning a house of their own. (Only concrete evidence of this is from our

interview with Randy and HKU’s Professor) On the other hand, they hold dear certain

ideals such as their freedom of speech. In particular, when interviewing Randy, a

post-graduate student from CUHK who is currently doing pro-bono service for

Helpers for Domestic Helpers (HDH) in Hong Kong, he reflects the common attitude

of the new generation of Hong Kong citizens33. The housing problem in Hong Kong,

from a Singaporean’s perspective, whose government has long been promoting

housing ownership, is severe but from the local’s perspective, it has already become a

way of life.

33 Refer to transcript

17

5.2 Hong  Kong’s  immigration  and  housing  policies  

5.2.1  Land  reclamation  

The Hong Kong government’s current vision for land reclamation are mainly geared

towards non-housing development, which still poses a question as to how it can help

Hong Kong solve its housing problems.34 While some land reclamation, such as that

on the waterfront of Victoria Harbour are meant for housing development, several

concerns, such as the increase in traffic congestion in the area, have to be addressed.

Societies such as Society for Protection of the Harbour (SPH) have sprung up to

protect the harbor from the government’s reclamation works. In contrast, reclamation

projects in Singapore are carried out more smoothly due to the dearth of legislation

opposition. As mentioned above, new immigration is not the cause of escalating

prices. Without land reclamation as a feasible option, Hong Kong faces a serious

limitation in its land expansion efforts to bring prices down. (Appendix- table 2)

5.2.2  Inability  to  import  foreign  workers    

Unlike Singapore, Hong Kong has policies that restrict the inflow of foreign labour as

mentioned above. This means that Hong Kong is disadvantaged with a huge limitation

because they could not exploit the cheap labour available overseas to drive the

housing prices down. Evidently, having a population with loud voices and strong

trade unions can be both a boon and a bane. In this case, the prowess of the people has

prevented necessary cooling measures from coming into existence. The hands of the

Hong Kong government are tied in attempting to solve housing issues because in

trying doing so entails bringing in a different set of problems such as public

displeasure in unsolicited government intervention in the market.

34 Lau, W. Land reclamation is not the answer to public housing shortage.

18

5.2.3  Political  stance    

While the Hong Kong government faces pressing issues to solve the housing

problems, obstacles such as its free market policy prevent it from successfully doing

so. In addition, as mentioned by Professor Yip from HKU, passivity of the Hong

Kong government also contributes to the housing problems. Its decision making

process is often hampered by their own citizens. The collective power of Hong Kong

citizens plays a significant role in affecting government politics, pressuring and

dictating the housing policies implemented.

It can be seen that even though Singapore has to subsidize housing heavily, its

government has greater flexibility in imposition of demographic policies with

minimum complaints from its people. However, Hong Kong does not have that

political dominance to mete out large-scale policies that its country requires.

The Hong Kong government adopts a laissez-faire style of governance on its

economy, allowing only the demand and supply forces to allocate prices. Even though

Singapore is ranked after Hong Kong as one of the freest economy, the same cannot

be said for its housing market, which sees significant government intervention. As

described previously, the Singapore government implemented many schemes to

ensure its affordability, and imposes rules and regulations on housing ownership,

especially with regards to foreign immigrants. Unlike the Hong Kong government

that sees housing as a commodity, the Singapore government sees housing as a merit

good, and hence is responsible to ensure accommodation for its people. Perhaps one

viable solution would be for the Hong Kong government to gradually exercise more

intervention into its housing market to alleviate the housing situation.

19

6. Conclusion

Prima facie, it may seem that Singapore and Hong Kong are very similar. Both share

a common history of a colonial past under the British rule and both also grow to

become Asian financial giants with prominent harbours and boast of flourishing trade

industries. However, these two countries diverge towards different paths since and

arrived today on similar outcomes based on different reasons. From the style of

governance to cultural differences, these disparities between two societies easily

surface when a national issue arises, such as that of solving housing problems and

reacting to immigration woes.

In light of the research done and interviews conducted in Hong Kong, it is palpable

that both Singapore and Hong Kong cannot take a back seat in dealing with the

housing crisis. As the demand for housing increases each year, this could prove to

adversely affect social stability and the standard of living of the citizens and

immigrants. Nonetheless, it is crucial to note that both countries are facing different

kinds of limitations that could hinder the effectiveness of their cooling measures

aimed at mitigating the exorbitant property prices, especially in the case of Hong

Kong. This could suggest that it would be prudent for both government to start

considering in investing in longer-term solutions, such as developing new and

efficient methods of building houses such as research and development (R&D) and

technology. Regardless, this could be complemented with the current efforts of the

government, as a short-run solution to soothe the escalating property prices.

I

7. Appendices  

Table 1

From http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/rapid-growth-singapores-immigrant-population-brings-policy-challenges

Table 2

 

II

8. References  

Agarwal, S., et al.(2014). Superstition and Asset Markets: Evidence from Singapore Housing. Almenoar, M. (2012, November 26). 102 SMRT bus drivers refuse to go to work. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://www.singapolitics.sg/news/102-smrt-bus-drivers-refuse-go-work-updated Census and Statistics Department. (2014, August 12). Mid-year Population for 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://www.censtatd.gov.hk/press_release/pressReleaseDetail.jsp?charsetID=1&presspre=3461 Central Intelligence Agency. (n.d.). Country Comparison : Distribution of family income - Gini index. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2172rank.html Central Policy Unit. (2013). A Study on New Arrival From Mainland China. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://www.cpu.gov.hk/doc/sc/research_reports/A_study_on_new_arrivals_from_MaiMainl_China.pdf Chin, T. & Strand, J. B. (2008). Hong Kong vs. Singapore: A Comparison of Two Real Estate Markets. Cornell Real Estate Review, vol 6, 26-36. George, C. (2000). Singapore: The Air-conditioned Nation. Essays on the Politics of Comfort and Control, 1990-2000. Singapore: Landmark Books. Global Property Guide. (n.d.). Square Metre Prices - singapore Compared to Continent. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://www.globalpropertyguide.com/Asia/singapore/square-meter-prices GovHK: Verification of Eligibility for a Permanent Identity Card. (2010). Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/immigration/idcard/roa/verifyeligible.htm Hong Kong Housing Authority. (n.d.). Housing in Figures 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from https://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/common/pdf/about-us/publications-and-statistics/HIF.pdf Housing Development Board. (2014, September 5). HDB InfoWEB: Public Housing in Singapore : About Us. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from

III

http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10320p.nsf/w/AboutUsPublicHousing?OpenDocument#ownership Housing Development Board. (2014, September 3). HDB InfoWEB: Overview : Living in HDB flats : Maximise your finances with your flat. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10325p.nsf/w/MaxFinancesOverviewLeaseBuyback?OpenDocument Immigration Department. (2015, January 16). Arrangement for Entry to Hong Kong from Mainland China. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://www.immd.gov.hk/en/services/hk-visas/overseas-chinese-entry-arrangement/mainland-china.html Information Services Department, Hong Kong SAR Government. (2014). Hong Kong: The Facts. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/factsheets/docs/population.pdf Lau, S. (2007, June 30). Migrants shaping Hong Kong's new face. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/06/09/hk.migrants/index.html?eref=editionhttp://www.immd.gov.hk/en/forms/forms/id407_detail.html - SADD Lau, W. (2013, May 17). Land reclamation is not the answer to public housing shortage. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1239094/land-reclamation-not-answer-public-housing-shortage Low, D. (2013, June 4). Rethinking Singapore's housing policies. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://www.todayonline.com/commentary/rethinking-singapores-housing-policies Neo, C. C. & Chia, A. (2013, December 3). Little India riot: 18 injured, 27 arrested. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/riot-breaks-out-little-india Noble, J. (2014, November 3). HK property prices continue to rise. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0efc1af2-6245-11e4-811b-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3OuNEPZbD Shi Ning, Teh (2012) The Business Times: Firms hit by tightened foreign worker inflows. http://www.aeis.org.sg/document/BT%20Published%20January%2011,%202012.pdf

IV

Siu, P. (2014, May 28). Hong Kong facing shortage of 10,000 construction workers - and MTR is suffering. South China Morning Post. Retrieved January 14, 2015, from http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1519855/hong-kong-facing-shortage-10000-construction-workers. Singapore Ministry of National Development. (2011) Corporate Handbook: Growing Singapore into a Distinctive City. Social Indicators of Hong Kong. (n.d.). Number of imported labor (actual) | Social Indicators of Hong Kong. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://www.socialindicators.org.hk/en/indicators/employment_and_income_security/9.12 Tai Po, W. (2014, May 31). No housing shortage in Hong Kong, just not enough affordable flats. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/1522252/no-housing-shortage-hong-kong-just-not-enough-affordable-flats Teh, S. N. (2012, January 11). Firms hit by tightened foreign worker inflows. The Business Times. Retrieved January 14, 2015, from http://www.aeis.org.sg/document/BT%20Published%20January%2011,%202012.pdf. The World Bank. (n.d.). Population density (people per sq. km of land area). Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.POP.DNST Thia Khiang, L. (2013, February 7). A Sustainable Singapore with a Dynamic Singaporean majority – MP Low Thia Khiang. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://wp.sg/2013/02/a-sustainable-singapore-with-a-dynamic-singaporean-majority-mp-low-thia-khiang/ Turnbull, C. M. (2009). A History of Modern Singapore, 1819-2005. Singapore: NUS Press. University of Pennsylvania. (2005, May 18). Attention, Speculators: Here's a Lesson from Hong Kong's Housing Bubble - Knowledge@Wharton. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/attention-speculators-heres-a-lesson-from-hong-kongs-housing-bubble/ Wan, M. (2013, April 18). Singapore economics: Labour pains. Retrieved January 27, 2015, from http://www.btinvest.com.sg/experts-views/singapore-economics-labour-pains/

V

White, A. (2014, September 23). Property prices: London ranked the world's most expensive city. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/constructionandproperty/11115385/Property-prices-London-ranked-the-worlds-most-expensive-city.html Yap, S., Lim, R. & Leong, W. K. (2009). Men In White: The Untold Story of Singapore’s Ruling Political Party. Yeoh, B. & Lin W. (2012, April 3). Rapid Growth in Singapore's Immigrant Population Brings Policy Challenges. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/rapid-growth-singapores-immigrant-population-brings-policy-challenges