Statistics
2017 Health Manpower Survey on Physiotherapists
Key Findings
1. The physiotherapists covered in the 2017 Health Manpower Survey (HMS) were physiotherapists registered with the Physiotherapists Board of Hong Kong under the Supplementary Medical Professions Ordinance (Chapter 359) as at the survey reference date - 31.3.2017.
2. The number of physiotherapists covered was 2 941.
3. Of the 2 941 physiotherapists covered, 1 473 responded to the survey, giving an overall response rate of 50.1%. Among the respondents, 1 340 (91.0%) were economically active*† (active) and 133 (9.0%) were economically inactive*‡ (inactive) in the local physiotherapy profession.
4. Of the 1 340 active physiotherapists enumerated, 1 336 (99.7%) were practising in the local physiotherapy profession, two (0.1%) were seeking jobs, and two (0.1%) were starting business at subsequent date or waiting to take up a new job in the local physiotherapy profession during the 30 days before the survey.
5. The survey findings presented below were based on the 1 336 responding physiotherapists who were practising in the local physiotherapy profession as at 31.3.2017. As some questionnaire items had missing responses, percentages presented below may not add up to 100%.
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(i) |
A total of eight physiotherapists did not indicate the gender. Among the remaining 1 328 active physiotherapists enumerated, 563 (42.4%) were male and 765 (57.6%) were female, giving an overall sex ratio (males per 100 females) of 73.6. Apart from 13 physiotherapists who did not indicate their age, the median age of the remaining 1 323 active physiotherapists enumerated was 39.0 years. |
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(ii) |
Distribution by sector of the main job§ showed that 504 (37.7%) were working in the Hospital Authority, followed by 503 (37.6%) in the private sector, 257 (19.2%) in the subvented sector, 49 (3.7%) in the academic sector and 21 (1.6%) in the Government. |
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(iii) |
Of the 1 336 active physiotherapists enumerated, 87.6% spent most of their working time on rehabilitation, followed by 6.0% on administration / management, 2.8% on teaching and 2.5% on primary health care. |
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(iv) |
The median number of hours of work (excluding meal breaks) per week of the 1 336 active physiotherapists enumerated was 44.0 hours. Among them, 88 (6.6%) physiotherapists were required to undertake on-call duty (excluding normal duty), with a median number of 3.5 hours of on-call duty (excluding normal duty) per week. |
6. Among the 133 inactive physiotherapists:
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(i) |
80 (60.2%) physiotherapists reported not practising in the physiotherapy profession in Hong Kong and not seeking job in the local physiotherapy profession during the 30 days before the survey. The reasons for not seeking job included: 43 (53.8%) were working in other professions, 13 (16.3%) were engaged in household duties, nine (11.3%) were retired, and eight (10.0%) wanted to take rest / had no motive to work / had no financial need. |
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(ii) |
53 (39.8%) physiotherapists reported practising overseas / in the Mainland. |
* 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" physiotherapists comprised all "employed" and "unemployed" physiotherapists. "Employed" physiotherapists referred to those physiotherapists practising in the physiotherapy profession in Hong Kong during the survey period, while "unemployed" physiotherapists referred to those physiotherapists who (a) were not practising in the local physiotherapy 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 physiotherapy profession during the 30 days before the survey.
‡ "Economically inactive" physiotherapists comprised the physiotherapists who were not practising in the physiotherapy 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 physiotherapists had spent most of their working time.
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Activity Status of Physiotherapists Covered |