HONG KONG, Sept. 28 -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said Thursday that the HKSAR government will encourage more women to work as a way to tackle the problem of labor shortage.

"The female labor force participation... is an area that this government will work harder at, because I noticed that even at 51 percent female labour participation rate, there is room for doing better, especially when Hong Kong is facing a major labour shortage in time to come," Lam said at the WomenCorporateDirectors 2017 ASPAC Institute conference.

Lam said that the government has an important role to play in encouraging the advancement of women. "We are doing so through policy-making, public engagement and international collaboration."

"As a working mother, I firmly believe that the government should help women enter, or remain, in the workforce, creating conditions that allow them to maintain a work-life balance," she said, adding that the HKSAR government is enhancing child care and elderly services support, strengthening training and employment services, and promoting family-friendly employment practices.

The first female chief executive of the HKSAR also pointed out that access to education is critical to enabling women to participate fully in all areas of the society. "In this, much has been achieved in Hong Kong over the past 20 years."