Hong Kong must look beyond mainland China talent to stay global, experts say

Visitors at the CareerConnect Expo, part of the Global Talent Summit Week organised by Hong Kong Talent Engage, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.

Photo: Karma Lo Hong Kong’s heavy reliance on hiring workers from mainland China could lead to a “downgrade” of its status as an international hub, experts said, after data showed that 94.5 per cent of successful top talent scheme applicants came from across the border.

Industry veterans and a lawmaker on Thursday called for a strategic shift towards Middle East and Asean talent amid geopolitical tensions, though others cautioned that Hong Kong still struggled with Muslim-friendly workplaces and job mismatches.

Launched in December 2022, the scheme was designed to lure high-income professionals and graduates from top universities as a way to tackle the brain drain following the 2019 anti-government protests and the Covid pandemic.

According to a written government reply to a Legislative Council inquiry on Wednesday, authorities have approved 126,942 applications since 2023, with 94.5 per cent – or 120,009 – coming from the mainland.

Applicants categorised as “others” ranked second with 3,051 approvals, though the Immigration Department provided no breakdown, followed by Canada with 1,349.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun.

Photo: Karma Lo Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han attributed the trend to “deepened cooperation” with the mainland, but stressed that the city would continue to “proactively promote its strengths globally”.

But Alexa Chow Yee-ping, managing director of ACTS Consulting, a recruitment firm, said: “Having a large proportion of mainland talent can be unfavourable to the city.

Hong Kong positions itself as an international, rather than a mainland, city.

Our characteristics as an international city will be downgraded [if the trend continues].” Chow noted that under the general employment policy – designed for non-mainlanders with a confirmed employment offer – 96,836 applications were approved between 2023 and this February.

Chow said that some foreign professionals were still interested in the city if they could secure opportunities for development.

She suggested the government step up overseas promotion by highlighting the strong support Hong Kong received from the mainland, and the opportunities the city offered.

Amid the heightening geopolitical tensions with the West, lawmaker Rock Chen Chung-nin urged the government to consider

原文链接: 南华早报