A shortage of highly skilled IT and financial service workers in Hong Kong is to be eased with a proposed relaxation on the entry of mainland professionals.
The Government announced a series of measures in response to its earlier manpower projections that Hong Kong would face a shortage of as many as 120,000 people with high academic qualifications in the next five years.
The centrepiece was the decision to revive in modified form the Admission of Mainland Professionals Scheme, first implemented in 1994, although the implementation method would still have to be discussed.
Under the scheme, employers will be able to bring in mainland professionals only in specific areas with known shortages. Initially, this will apply only to the IT and financial services disciplines.
The Security Bureau said it would ensure application procedures for the scheme were streamlined and user-friendly.
Employers, acting as sponsors, can submit applications directly to the Immigration Department without going through any intermediate mainland recruitment agencies, which was the case in the 1994 scheme.
