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The shortage of law staff increases losses of small and medium enterprises in Hong Kong, according to results of a survey released on Thursday.
The survey shows that over half of the SMEs have ever met legal disputes and 61 percent of them think it’s necessary to take preventative measures in advance. But most of the SMEs don’t employ professional law staff due to financial stress and only nine percent do so. Once there is a problem, the SME would lose much more, not just money but image, according to the survey.
The survey was conducted by Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE) and The Hong Kong General Chamber of Small and Medium Business from February to March in 2013. A total of 214 respondents have been received. It aimed at understanding SMEs’ sense of legal crisis and relevant employment trends.
HK SMEs are usually confronted with three legal issues namely contract issues, labor dispute and intellectual property, said the Chamber President Ng Ka Wing. “It’s often getting worse when there are no timely legal resources. It’s essential to hire staff in law to decrease risks.
As at December 2012, there were about 0.3 million SMEs in HK. They accounted for over 98 percent of the total business units and provided job opportunities to over 1.2 million persons, according to the Trade and Industry Department. IVE will establish a program called Higher Diploma in Management and Legal Studies next fall term, the first in HK to develop professional legal talents for enterprises. This follows the new employment trend and can enhance students’ competitiveness in job market, according to IVE.
