Huge chunk of talent-scheme pool comes from mainland

Two-thirds of the successful 7,700 applications for Hong Kong's new talent scheme are from the mainland while the rest are from overseas, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han told lawmakers in an antechamber meeting.

But most of those living overseas are also mainland Chinese, sources said, and it is estimated that up to 95 percent of applicants hold a Chinese passport.

The scheme has so far received over 10,000 applications and over half of those candidates are recent graduates from the world's top universities while one-sixth earn at least HK$2.5 million annually, Sun said.

He added that half of the applicants were aged under 30 while 97 percent were aged below 50.

Sun said the meeting discussed leveraging local talents, vocational and professional education, as well as challenges that the labor market was facing.

Lawmaker Frankie Ngan Man-yu of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong said the government can aid import talents by providing living support facilities, reducing living expenses and helping them find their preferred jobs more efficiently in order to encourage them to remain in the city.

He also suggested that authorities should "take the initiative to match talents and companies through the Talents Service Unit online platform to help them get employed as soon as possible."

Ngan said the new director for the talents service office should be a non-civil servant who is closely connected with the labor market and for the deputy director to be a civil servant to interface with various government departments in handling administrative work.

In response to the shortage of manpower in different sectors, Sun said various bureaus are listening to the views of different industries and proposing solutions.

For example, the Labour and Welfare Bureau has formulated a scheme for the importation of caregivers at residential care homes in response to the shortage of care workers. The scheme is expected to launch in the second quarter of this year.

The Development Bureau has indicated it will make reference to the Construction Manpower Forecast, released last week by the Construction Industry Council, to put forward a comprehensive strategy to cope with the demand by the middle of this year.

Sun said a series of measures trawling for talents has been launched, including streamlining the General Employment Policy and the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals. The new round of review of the talent list will be completed by the end of next month.

Sun added that the government will formulate a labor importation policy to suit the needs of the industry structure.

Lawmaker Stanley Ng Chau-pei, from the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, said the government should explain how many measures have been carried out to enhance local employment opportunities before discussing the importation of foreign workers.

As for encouraging local talent to remain in Hong Kong, Sun said the government has no plan to set terms to ensure that beneficiaries of public funding will stay in the city for development.

"As long as Hong Kong maintains our competitiveness and provides local talent with promising prospects, they will choose to stay," he said.

stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.com