Statistics
2014 Health Manpower Survey on Medical Laboratory Technologists
Key Findings
1. The medical laboratory technologists covered in the 2014 HMS were medical laboratory technologists registered with the Medical Laboratory Technologists Board of Hong Kong under the Supplementary Medical Professions Ordinance (Chapter 359) as at the survey reference date - 31.3.2014.
2. The number of medical laboratory technologists covered was 3 084.
3. Of the 3 084 registered medical laboratory technologists covered, 1 109 had responded to the survey, giving an overall response rate of 36.0%. Of the 1 109 responding medical laboratory technologists, 966 (87.1%) were economically active*† (active) while 143 (12.9%) reported to be economically inactive*‡ (inactive) in the local medical laboratory technology profession.
4. Of the 966 active medical laboratory technologists, 944 (97.7%) were practising in the local medical laboratory technology profession, 14 (1.4%) were seeking jobs and eight (0.8%) were waiting to take up a new job, believed that work was not available or expecting to return to their original jobs in the local medical laboratory technology profession during the 30 days before the survey.
5. The survey findings presented below were based on the 944 responding medical laboratory technologists practising in the local medical laboratory technology profession as at 31.3.2014. As some questionnaires had missing responses, percentages presented below may not add up to 100%.
| (i) |
Of the 944 active medical laboratory technologists enumerated, 439 (46.5%) were male and 505 (53.5%) were female, giving an overall sex ratio (males per 100 females) of 86.9. Among them, 15 medical laboratory technologists did not indicate age and the median age of the remaining 929 active medical laboratory technologists enumerated was 44.0 years. |
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| (ii) |
Distribution by sector of the main job§ showed that 435 (46.1%) were working in the Hospital Authority, followed by 342 (36.2%) in the private sector, 85 (9.0%) in the Government and 79 (8.4%) in the academic and subvented sectors. |
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| (iii) |
80.1% spent most of their working time on medical laboratory tests, followed by 14.4% on administration / management, 3.5% on research and 1.4% on teaching. |
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| (iv) |
The median number of hours of work (excluding meal breaks) per week of the 944 active medical laboratory technologists enumerated was 44.0 hours. 166 (17.6%) medical laboratory technologists were required to undertake on-call duty (excluding normal duty), with a median number of 11.5 hours of on-call duty (excluding normal duty) per week. |
| * |
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 which are also being used by the Census and Statistics Department in Hong Kong. |
| † |
"Economically active" medical laboratory technologists comprised all "employed" and "unemployed" medical laboratory technologists. "Employed" medical laboratory technologists referred to those medical laboratory technologists practising in the medical laboratory technology profession in Hong Kong during the survey period, while "unemployed" medical laboratory technologists referred to those medical laboratory technologists who (a) were not practising in the local medical laboratory technology 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 medical laboratory technology profession during the 30 days before the survey. |
| ‡ |
"Economically inactive" medical laboratory technologists comprised the medical laboratory technologists who were not practising in the medical laboratory technology 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 medical laboratory technologists had spent most of their working time. |
6. Among the 143 inactive medical laboratory technologists:
| (i) |
16 medical laboratory technologists reported practising overseas and 11 medical laboratory technologists reported practising in the Mainland. |
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| (ii) |
110 medical laboratory technologists reported not practising in the medical laboratory technology profession in Hong Kong and not seeking job in the medical laboratory technology profession during the 30 days before the survey. The reasons reported for not seeking job included: 65 (59.1%) were working in other professions, 18 (16.4%) were retired, 14 (12.7%) engaged in household duties, nine (8.2%) were undertaking study and four (3.6%) wanted to take rest / had no motive to work / had no financial need. |
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Activity Status of Medical Laboratory Technologists Covered |