Nine more in talent list as minimum wage rises

Wallis Wang and Cheng Wong

Nine professions including Islamic market professionals will be added to the SAR administration's Hong Kong Talent List, bringing the total to 60, the Labour and Welfare Bureau announced.

The update will take effect on March 1, following the last revision in May 2023.

The newly added occupations include accountants, financial professionals with Islamic market experience, experienced professionals in commodities trading, experienced systems architects, patent professionals, legal knowledge engineers, ship surveyors, professionals in green shipping and aircraft maintenance engineers.

Since the last update, talent applications have surged from 350 to 1,123.

The bureau said: "In reviewing the list, the government has considered whether talent of the professions concerned are readily available in the local job market and whether the talent in demand cannot be nurtured by local training in good time."

As a result, certain professions such as pilots, speech therapists and clinical psychologists are not seeking external talent due to the availability of local training.

The update came as the Chief Executive in Council approved an increase in the minimum wage from HK$40 per hour to HK$42.10, up 5.25 percent.

The administration said it adopted the recommendation of the Minimum Wage Commission on the rise, with plans to publish the Minimum Wage Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 3) Notice 2025 in the gazette the day after tomorrow.

The bill is scheduled to be tabled in the Legislative Council next Wednesday. Once approved, the new minimum wage rate will take effect on May 1.

It is the first time the commission has adopted a new formula approved by the administration last year to derive the rate.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said the commission's recommendation is in line with the policy objectives of maintaining a balance between preventing excessively low wages and minimizing the loss of low-paid jobs, while also considering the need to sustain Hong Kong's economic growth and competitiveness.