這麼近，那麼遠：機會結構之轉變與期望的落差

九七回歸之前，在不少港人眼中，內地推行改革開放，會為他們提供新的發展空間。對廠商來說，是利用珠三角的資源，擴大生產規模；對一些已年老的低下階層而言，回鄉養老是安享晚年的一種選擇；而對好些人來說，到內地發展是個人事業的黃金機會。不過，從香港政府就港人在內地工作的調查所見，情況並未如原先想像的樂觀。儘管香港整體經濟受惠於內地經濟起飛，港人也有機會到內地工作，但那些機會並非是對不同階層、教育背景的人士全面開放，而且正呈現機會漸趨狹窄的趨勢。兩地整合的新形態以及機會結構的轉變，擴大了現實與期望之間的落差，對香港社會提出了新的課題，這也是香港部分年輕人時區域融合產生焦慮的原因之一。
Prior to Hong Kong’s return to China in 1997, many people in Hong Kong believed that economic reform in the Mainland would provide them with new opportunities. For Hong Kong’s manufacturers, they could expand the scale of production by relocating their factories to the Pearl River Delta; for the lower and middle income working class retirees, returning to their hometowns after retirement sounded like an attractive option; and for those who were in the middle of their careers, continuing their career in the Mainland looked promising. Yet, observations drawn from official surveys by the Hong Kong Government of Hong Kong residents show that working in the Mainland do not really give us the expected optimistic picture. Opportunities opened to Hong Kong residents are largely restricted to people of certain occupational categories and certain levels of education attainment. And they are becoming increasingly restrictive. Such development significantly falls short of the projection put forward by those who encourage young people to see the Mainland as the destination of their future career. This discrepancy between reality and expectations is one among many factors that has created a sense of anxiety among Hong Kong’s young people in the face of regional integration. Copyright © 2013 國務院港澳事務辦公室.