This week marked a turning point in Hong Kong's immigration policy, with the introduction of the Quality Migrants Admission Scheme. It allows people, for the first time, to come and settle here legally on the basis of their qualifications - without having to be sponsored by an employer.
The scheme was unveiled a day before the Council for Sustainable Development launched a consultation on how Hong Kong should address the challenges posed by an ageing population. The council painted a grim picture of this city losing its dynamism as the workforce shrinks and ages, and proposed a number of solutions - including more immigration.
The problem is so serious that the quality migrant scheme alone will not be a solution. For one thing, its annual quota of 1,000 is too small. Perhaps the government set such a low figure out of concern for the impact on the labour market. Nevertheless, it's a good start.
In fact, Hong Kong has always been a city of migrants. That was made clear in a groundbreaking study by economist Richard Wong Yue-chim, anthropologist Helen Siu Fung-har and historian David Faure. Funded by the 2022 Foundation and published last year, Rethinking Hong Kong's Human Resources and Competitiveness: A Pre-Policy Study has been driving business and official thinking about how Hong Kong should tackle its population challenge.
What distinguishes it from other manpower studies is that it is not a quantitative study of how many skilled workers will be needed in which fields. Instead, it looks at the big picture, comparing Hong Kong with other international financial centres such as London and New York, and digging into the city's past for inspiration for the future. One of its enlightening findings is that the key to maintaining a city's vibrancy lies in ensuring a steady flow of people through it.
Indeed, that has been the Hong Kong story. Throughout most of this city's history as a British colony, countless numbers of mainlanders and foreigners were drawn here to work by our attractive business environment.
Before the second world war, most migrants came here during their productive years and returned to their home towns when they retired. The arrival of the young and departure of the old ensured that the population maintained its vitality. After the war, political changes on the mainland prompted many arrivals to either stay here for good or migrate overseas.
