A report by the public-policy think tank Civic Exchange seems to confirm what many have suspected for some time: Hong Kong is threatened by a 'brain drain', with its most educated, qualified and experienced workers aspiring to move somewhere greener - financially and environmentally.
The Classified Post, in a December 11 story, highlighted this issue based on a 2009 Gallup survey indicating that Hong Kong could lose its best and brightest, with other developed regions, such as Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, likely to benefit from a 'brain gain'.
However, the gain-drain equation is not that clear-cut. 'I think the business talent flows into and out of Hong Kong are much more complex than a one-way brain drain,' says Stephen Shih, head of the MBA career services and corporate relations at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).
He believes 'magnetic' forces have emerged across Asia, attracting talent from within and outside the region.
'Even as Hong Kong continues to attract talent, we also see talent leaving Hong Kong,' Shih says, adding that more of its MBA students are considering opportunities not just in Hong Kong, but also in other Asian 'magnet' cities, especially Shanghai and Singapore. 'This is a recent shift,' he says.
Shih thinks this flow of talent across Asia is determined by some kind of specialisation, with Shanghai seen as a stepping stone into the mainland and Singapore as the career gateway into Southeast Asia and India.