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Statistics

2021 Health Manpower Survey on Optometrists
Key Findings

The optometrists covered in the 2021 Health Manpower Survey on Optometrists (HMS-OPT) were optometrists registered with the Optometrists Board of Hong Kong under the Supplementary Medical Professions Ordinance (Chapter 359) as at the survey reference date of 31 July 2021, and who had provided written consent on receiving information related to HMS-OPT by post or email.

Among the 2 269 optometrists registered with the Optometrists Board of Hong Kong as at the survey reference date of 31 July 2021, 905 had consented to receive information related to HMS-OPT by post or email. The number of optometrists covered was 905.

Of the 905 optometrists covered, 372 responded to the HMS-OPT, giving an overall response rate of 41.1% (See Chart).

Among the 372 responding optometrists, 360 (96.8%) were “active” *† and 12 (3.2%) were “inactive” *‡ in the local optometry profession as at 31 July 2021 (See Chart).

Among the 360 active optometrists, 354 (98.3%) were practising in the local optometry profession, two (0.6%) reported that they had not been available for work because of temporary sickness, one (0.3%) was seeking jobs in the optometry profession and three (0.8%) reported that they were available for work but had not sought work during the 30 days before enumeration as they believed no work was available in the profession; were waiting to take up a new job; or expecting to return to their original jobs in the local optometry profession.

The survey findings presented below were based on the 354 responding optometrists who were practising in the local optometry profession as at 31 July 2021. The percentages presented below may not add up to 100% due to missing responses or rounding (See Chart).

  1. Of the 354 active optometrists practising in the local optometry profession enumerated, there were 291 (82.2%) male and 62 (17.5%) female and one (0.3%) did not indicate the gender, giving an overall sex ratio (males per 100 females) of 469. Excluding one respondent who did not indicate the age, the median age of the remaining 353 active optometrists was 56.0 years (median age of female was 43.0 years and median age of male was 57.0 years).
  2. The responding active optometrists practising in the local optometry profession were requested to indicate the characteristics of their main jobs*. Among the 354 respondents, 322 (91.0%) of them reported as working in the private sector, 23 (6.5%) in the Government, academic and subvented sectors, three (0.8%) in the Hospital Authority and six (1.7%) did not indicate their sectors for the main job.
    3. * 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 (“active”) optometrists included: (a) “employed” optometrists – optometrists practising in the optometry profession in Hong Kong during the survey period; and (b) “unemployed” optometrists - optometrists who (i) were not practising in the local optometry profession during the survey period; (ii) had been available for work during the seven days before the survey AND (iii) had sought work in the local optometry profession during the 30 days before the survey. The respondent would be classified as “unemployed” if he / she had sought work in the local optometry profession but had not been available for work because of temporary sickness.
    The respondent would also be classified as “unemployed” if he / she fulfilled conditions (i) and (ii) but had not sought work during the 30 days before enumeration because he / she believed that work was not available; or had made arrangements to take up a new job; or was starting business on a subsequent date; or was expecting to return to the original job in the local optometry profession.
    ‡ Economically inactive (“inactive”) optometrists referred to the responding optometrists who were not practising in the optometry profession in Hong Kong during the survey period, excluding those who were on leave during the survey period and who were “economically active” but “unemployed”.
    § Main jobs referred to the jobs in which the optometrists had spent most of their working time.
  3. Of the 354 active optometrists practising in the local optometry profession enumerated, 89.8% reported spending most of their working time on service of optometric care, while 4.2% reported spending most of their working time on administration/ management, 1.7% reported teaching and 1.1% reported research as the main area of work.
  4. The median number of hours of work per week (excluding meal breaks) of the 354 active optometrists practising in the local optometry profession enumerated was 48.0 hours, amongst which 59 (16.7%) were required to undertake on-call duty (excluding normal duty), with a median of 24.0 hours of on-call duty (excluding normal duty) per week.

Among the 12 inactive optometrists enumerated (See Chart) :

  1. Eight (66.7%) reported not seeking jobs in the local optometry profession during the 30 days before enumeration. Among the eight inactive optometrists who reported not seeking jobs in the local optometry profession, the main reasons included: three (37.5%) were retired, one (12.5%) was working in other profession, one (12.5%) was engaged in household duties, one (12.5%) had emigrated, one (12.5%) was undertaking study and one (12.5%) wanted to take rest/ had no motive to work/ had no financial need
  2. Two (16.7%) reported practising in the Mainland and two (16.7%) reported practising overseas.
Activity Status of Optometrists Covered

Text Version

Notes: * Figure refers to the number of optometrists who had registered with the Optometrists Board of Hong Kong under the Supplementary Medical Professions Ordinance (Chapter 359) on or before 31.7.2021, and who had provided written consent to receive information related to HMS-OPT by post or email.
† Figure refers to the number of responding optometrists who (a) were not practising in the optometry profession in Hong Kong 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 optometry profession during the 30 days before the survey.
‡ Figure refers to the number of responding optometrists who (a) were not practising in the optometry profession in Hong Kong during the survey period; (b) had been available for work during the seven days before the survey; AND (c) had not sought work during the 30 days before enumeration because he/ she believed that work was not available; or was waiting to take up a new job; or was expecting to return to the original job in the local optometry profession during the 30 days before the survey.
§ Figure refers to the number of responding optometrists who reported as undertaking study, having emigrated or wanting to rest / no motive to work / no financial need.
Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

Last Revision Date : 25 Jan 2024