Hong Kong Talent Engage to allocate $10m to boost global talent recruitment across social media sites

As the city seeks to attract talent from across the world, Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) has recently unveiled plans to allocate HK$10 million to promoting Hong Kong stories on six social media platforms, including Xiaohongshu, while also launching support services to incoming talent.

According to the government document, approximately eight staff members are currently responsible for promotion and marketing efforts, encompassing engagement on news platforms and six social media sites: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, WeChat, Xiaohongshu, and YouTube.

It is reported that the total number of followers across the six platforms currently stands at 78,577, with WeChat leading at 54,405 followers, while YouTube has the least with only 307.

The Labour and Welfare Bureau has set key performance indicators (KPIs) for its social media promotional work, anticipating over 60 percent growth in followers across all platforms this year, with the total followers count expected to rise to 131,000.

Additionally, Instagram and Xiaohongshu are expected to experience a fivefold growth, with Instagram followers climbing from 1,296 to 7,000 and Xiaohongshu surging from 2,622 to 13,000 by 2025.

The department also announced a plan to increase the number of media reports, budgeting for about 300 media coverage in 2025.

Regarding the estimated expenditure of HK$7 million for overseas visits, the department confirmed one visit scheduled for mid-April, where officials will collaborate with Greater Bay Area cities to host a talent recruitment event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to promote job opportunities in the region.

Looking ahead, the budget for promotions on HKTE's website and social media platforms will be approximately HK$15 million and HK$10 million respectively for fiscal years 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Volunteer activities to help talents integrate into the city

Apart from social media, HKTE also launched the Talent+ Volunteer Program to connect incoming talents with local communities.

During the recent St. James' Settlement Flag Day, several global talents were seen carrying flag bags with their families to experience the traditional charity event in the city.

Karl Kuffner, who moved from Germany to Hong Kong about 11 years ago, joined the volunteer activity with his wife and 8-year-old son for the first time.

While being exposed to flag day activities every Saturday, Kuffner noticed his son was unfamiliar with it, adding they had practiced saying "Good morning" and "Thank you" in Chinese the night before.

Another participant, surnamed Zhou, who has been in the city for over two years through the Top Talent Pass Scheme, described the flag-selling experience as challenging but ultimately confidence-boosting, adding that he felt welcomed by everyone.

His wife emphasized that selling flags is an excellent opportunity for both adults and children to improve their social skills and mentioned that their family might be more proactive in participating in future events.

(Phoebe Poon)