Creative Hong Kong must not sell itself short

Singapore celebrated its 49th anniversary as an independent country this month. It deserves to be proud of its accomplishments; within such a short time, it has become an international hub with a thriving economy, home to 3.8 million citizens and permanent residents, and 1.5 million foreigners from different cultures and ethnicities.

While there is still debate on the level of immigration and concerns over rising living costs, it remains a clean, green, safe and well-off place, and the preferred destination of work or migration for many.

Singapore's government has strategically targeted highly skilled foreign labour while making use of abundant lower-skilled workers from nearby countries to ensure construction projects are completed in good time. Also, with such a racially mixed population of Chinese, Malays, Indians and many others, people still live in enviable peace.

In contrast, Hong Kong's clashes with mainland migrants and visitors are witnessed every day. We face an acute shortage of workers in many sectors, which the government and industry appear unable to resolve. The construction of several large-scale infrastructure projects is behind schedule due to bad planning and a shortage of workers. Our health care sector is also short of staff.

As a result, society pays a huge cost.

We need to use our competitive advantage - our diversity, freedoms, trustworthy legal system, flexibility and creativity - to make Hong Kong vibrant and appealing again. Adopting a flexible approach to attracting foreign talent without compromising standards is essential to enhancing our human capital.

The Singaporean government has invested substantially in education and technology to make its economy strong and competitive.