Hong Kong cuts subsidised therapy places amid graduate job concerns

Hong Kong education authorities have reduced the number of subsidised places for physiotherapy and occupational therapy programmes at three self-financing institutions, the South China Morning Post reported. The reduction, of about one-third, will apply in the 2027-28 school year. The Education Bureau announced the change on Monday under its Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions or sectors, according to the report.

A physiotherapy association supported the reduction, saying it would help prevent unemployment in the profession from worsening. The association said any future increase in subsidised places would depend on the government’s budget. The decision comes amid what the report described as a graduate job crunch in the sector.

The supplied material does not state the previous or new number of places, identify the three institutions or provide employment figures. It also does not explain whether the occupational therapy and physiotherapy places will be reduced by the same proportion. No response from the affected institutions or students was included.

The change links government-supported training capacity to employment conditions, while leaving any later expansion dependent on available public funding. Further details of the Education Bureau’s rationale were not provided in the supplied material.