Department of Health - Health Manpower Survey

1 The chiropractors covered in the 2018 Health Manpower Survey on Chiropractors (HMS-CHIRO) were chiropractors registered with the Chiropractors Council under the Chiropractors Registration Ordinance (Chapter 428) as at the survey reference date of 31 August 2018.

3 Of the 229 chiropractors covered, 131 responded to the HMS-CHIRO, giving an overall response rate of 57.2%. Among the respondents, 113 (86.3%) were economically active^*†(active) in the local chiropractic profession and 18 (13.7%) were economically inactive^*‡ (inactive) (See Chart) .

4 The survey results presented below were based on the 113 responding chiropractors who were practicing in the local chiropractic profession as at 31 August 2018. The percentage presented below may not added up to 100% due to missing response or rounding.

(i) Of the 113 active chiropractors enumerated who were practising in the local chiropractic profession, 79 (69.9%) were male and 34 (30.1%) were female, giving an overall sex ratio (males per 100 females) of 232. Two registered chiropractors did not indicate their age and the median age of the remaining 111 active chiropractors enumerated was 41.0 years.

(ii) Distribution by sector of the main job^§ of those enumerated showed that all the 113 active chiropractors enumerated were working in the private sector. Among them, 57 (50.4%) were in group practice and the remaining 56 (49.6%) were in solo practice.

(iii) The median number of hours of work (excluding meal breaks) per week of the 113 active chiropractors enumerated was 42.0 hours. Among them, 104 (92.0%) were not required to undertake on-call duty (excluding normal duty) and nine (8.0%) were required to undertake on-call duty (excluding normal duty), with a median of 10.0 hours of on-call duty (excluding normal duty) per week.

(iv) 112 (99.1%) chiropractors spent most of their working time on service in chiropractic.

(ii) Seven (38.9%) were not seeking job in the local chiropractic profession during the 30 days before the survey. Among the seven chiropractors who reported not practising in Hong Kong and not seeking jobs in the local chiropractic profession, the main reasons reported not seeking job included: three (42.9%) were engaged in household duties, two (28.6%) were retired and two (28.6%) were working in other professions.

*	In the survey, the criteria used in defining economically active / inactive followed those recommended by the International Labour Organization, which are also being used by the Census and Statistics Department in Hong Kong.
†	“Economically active” chiropractors comprised all “employed” and “unemployed” chiropractors. “Employed” chiropractors referred to those chiropractors practising in the chiropractic profession in Hong Kong during the survey period, while “unemployed” chiropractors referred to the chiropractors who (a) were not practising in the chiropractic profession during the survey period; (b) had been available for work during the seven days before the survey; AND (c) had sought work in the local chiropractic profession during the 30 days before the survey.
‡	“Economically inactive” chiropractors comprised the chiropractors who were not practising in the chiropractic profession in Hong Kong during the survey period, but excluding those who had been on leave during the survey period and who were economically active but “unemployed”.
§	Main jobs referred to the jobs in which the chiropractors had spent most of their working time.

Statistics