Hong Kong on course to meet talent recruitment target of 35,000 high-fliers, chief secretary says
- Chief Secretary Eric Chan announces more than 33,000 applications made through variety of talent recruitment schemes by middle of April
- Chan discusses recruitment from mainland China and worldwide on three-day official trip to Beijing as Top Talent Pass Scheme attracts 15,000 people
Hong Kong can hit its target of recruiting 35,000 talented individuals this year, the city’s No 2 official has predicted.
“We have set a target of enticing 35,000 talented people to Hong Kong every year, and we are very confident that we can reach the target,” he said.
He added that only applicants who had arrived in Hong Kong would be included as part of the total.
The city offers at least seven programmes designed to attract talent from mainland China and around the world to reverse a brain drain and tackle problems caused by a shrinking population.
Applicants who have earned at least HK$2.5 million (US$318,470) in the previous year and graduates of the world’s top 100 universities with at least three years of working experience in the last five years are eligible to apply for a two-year visa.
Chan said more than 24,000 applications had been received as of April 18 and 15,000 had been approved.
He said the government would ensure local workers had employment opportunities, and the importation of labour would be done in a moderate and regulated manner.
95 per cent of approved applicants for Hong Kong talent scheme from mainland China
The chief secretary said he had discussed progress on “snapping up” talent and labour during his three-day trip to Beijing. He met Xia Baolong, the director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Office, on Friday.
“My trip to Beijing has been very fruitful. I thank Xia for fully affirming and supporting the government in governing according to the law and for his care for Hong Kong,” Chan said.
“I promised Xia that the government will continue to develop the economy, improve people’s livelihood and maintain the city’s long-term prosperity and stability.”
He added extra staff had been allocated to land border checkpoints and that inspections would be strengthened in Kowloon City and other areas popular with mainland tour groups.
Hong Kong talent scheme receives 10,810 applications, half are top graduates
Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan, the civil service chief, who is in Beijing on a separate work trip, said there were plans to gradually resume training courses on the mainland for middle and senior civil servants in the second half of the year.
“This can deepen colleagues’ understanding of national policies and development, as the government is actively integrating into the overall development situation,” she said.
Senior civil servants will also attend courses on topics related to the “one country, two systems” governing principle and contemporary China, organised by Hong Kong’s Civil Service College and Peking University’s Centre for Hong Kong and Macau Studies.
Yeung added there would also be courses designed to boost knowledge of national security for all civil servants amid the complicated geopolitical situation.
