Beefing up a depleted workforce and stepping up economic recovery are among the SAR’s primary goals as it tries to lure professionals, including from the Chinese mainland, to settle in the city. But job applicants face a tight labor market and will have to overcome language and cultural barriers. Zhang Tianyuan reports in Hong Kong.
On a muggy June day, 34-year-old Liang, who declined to disclose her full name, armed with a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Zhejiang University, arrived in Hong Kong to begin a new journey in her life — six months after securing her visa under the city’s Top Talent Pass program.
Liang is among some 130,000 people from the Chinese mainland and abroad to have arrived in the special administrative region in the vanguard of a suite of talent attraction programs the SAR government has instituted to plug a dearth of professionals and lift its linchpin finance and technology fields as the city attempts to recover from the COVID-19-battered economy.
The central government is fully behind Hong Kong’s quest to attract global talent as stated in a document following the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee, which ended on July 18. The high-level meeting laid out a blueprint for the nation’s long-term development trajectory and endorsed Hong Kong’s aspirations to become a world hub for high-caliber talent.
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But the chasm in the SAR’s living and dietary habits, the constraints of its market size, and recent economic struggles, suggest that persuading people from outside to settle in the city with their families will not be easy.
Open to opportunities
Liang, a cross-border e-commerce data analyst, is apprehensive after a whirlwind three-day reconnaissance of her potential new home. In Hangzhou, the capital of East China’s Zhejiang province, she relishes living in a 90-square-meter apartment in an urban setting with her husband, a two-year-old son and a nanny. They are the quintessential Chinese middle-class family. She wants to replicate her family’s lifestyle in the new urban jungle. However, Hong Kong’s skyrocketing costs, particularly for housing, present a formidable barrier and Liang has to weigh up potential salary growth against high rental costs in one of the world’s most expensive cities.
The cultural and language barriers also make her pause. “It’s markedly distinct from Hangzhou with its more measured pace of life,” she notes. “Hong Kong’s narrow streets are always packed with people, and everyone speaks Cantonese.” Any decision to uproot her family from the comforts of Hangzhou to the frenetic pace of life in Hong Kong isn’t something that can be made easily despite the allure of international exposure and affluent resources for children’s education.
While Liang is confident she will secure a job in Hong Kong, “My priority is to have my visa extended when it expires in two years’ time. If relocation proves to be challenging, I might consider being an insurance broker who is allowed to work remotely or apply for a master’s degree in renewing my visa,” she says. Her long-term aspiration is to attain permanent residency after a seven-year stay — a status that would open the door to more educational opportunities for her child.
An estimated 120,000 dependents have already accompanied those approved professionals to the bustling metropolis, according to Hong Kong’s Labour Department.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said 75,700 professionals with visas granted under employment-related programs had secured jobs by the end of June. For some talent admission initiatives, such as the Top Talent Pass and the Quality Migrant Admission programs, applicants don’t need to show proof of having been offered a job in Hong Kong while their applications are being processed.
Mainland professionals are an important panacea for Hong Kong’s labor woes, accounting for more than 60 percent of the total number arriving under the talent attraction plans.
Those admitted through the Top Talent Pass program are well-educated and hold senior positions in their careers, notes Victor Zheng Wan-tai, associate director (executive) of the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
“Their exposure to global firms operating on the mainland, coupled with a good understanding of both the Chinese and overseas markets, could help Hong Kong develop industries in advanced science and newfangled technologies,” he says.
Job-hunting hurdles
However, Zheng warns that Hong Kong’s job market is relatively small and focuses on finance and a few other trades. “The volume and diversity cannot be compared to the mainland’s, since some professional occupations in the city are ringfenced for locals. It may take migrant professionals in Hong Kong a long time to acquire such qualifications or become eligible to apply for them.” They may also need to cope with the demands of Hong Kong’s job market, such as adapting themselves to local culture in the workplace and building bonds within the labor network.
Michael Wong Bo-lin, an assistant professor of management and strategy with a joint appointment in economics at the University of Hong Kong’s Business School, says that mastering the English language, both written and spoken, and possessing professional skills are vital to securing employment in Hong Kong.
For those planning to settle, the job market hasn’t been a bed of roses, especially when the city is struggling to cope with economic headwinds.
Job hunting in the international financial hub has been difficult for Shao Wenqiang, a marketing specialist with a bachelor’s degree in maritime engineering. The 33-year-old quit a well-paid job at mainland internet technology giant Tencent in Shenzhen two years ago. After struggling to start his own business last year, he decided to try his luck across the border with a one-way stay permit for family reunions.
“I had sent at least 300 resumes to enterprises in various sectors since January, including more than 100 via Jobsdb — one of the largest online job search sites in Hong Kong,” Shao recalls. “So far, only two companies have invited me for an interview, and one rejected my application.” Both jobs require a deep understanding of Hong Kong markets which Shao lacks. His mastery lies in online marketing and branding through the mainland’s social media apps, such as WeChat and Xiaohongshu, coupled with a flair for data analysis and livestreaming e-commerce.
“Never in my life have I spent so much time looking for a job without much success,” he laments. “Six months without work in Hong Kong is just too long. I have a family to feed and the pressure is immense.”
Shao has reluctantly joined the SAR’s grueling labor sector. He toils from 7 to 11 pm on weekdays in a McDonald’s kitchen, frying chicken nuggets and earning HK$52 ($6.60) an hour. “At least I can learn to speak Cantonese here,” he says.
Shao shared his job-hunting stories on his Xiaohongshu social media account, “Ewantesila” (the English version of his Chinese account name). The posts have struck a digital chord, garnering about 1,000 likes.
While working part-time, Shao continues to pursue a permanent position. He’s also taking courses in English at HKU Space — a private nonprofit higher education institution offering a wide range of programs from short courses to full degrees. He said he believes that improving his English speaking and writing skills can help him navigate the labor market better.
Economy shapes hiring
Migrant workers are struggling to land their ideal jobs partly because the local economy is experiencing slower growth and employers are keen to improve the workforce’s efficiency, says Zheng. “The programs designed to attract talent, like the Top Talent Pass, have swiftly filled some labor gaps.”
According to the city’s Labour and Welfare Bureau, more than half of the overseas professionals who have been in Hong Kong for more than six months under the Top Talent Pass program have found jobs, mainly in financial services, innovation, information and communication technology services, commerce and trade.
“Hong Kong is going through tremendous transformation amid significant changes in human capital flow, and more time is needed to fully manifest and assess the situation,” says Zheng.
Wong warns that Hong Kong’s “rents are too high, and residences are too cramped compared to those on the mainland, even for professional class workers. As a result, it is completely cost prohibitive for mainland people to move and work here”. He remains pessimistic about the immigration programs’ role in boosting Hong Kong’s economy.\
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The SAR government sees its efforts to lower entry barriers for nonlocal professionals and enlarge its talent pool as critical for long-term economic recovery, especially when Hong Kong is grappling with a rapidly graying population.
The latest government statistics estimate that the number of elderly residents in the SAR will reach one-third of the population by 2046. The population is projected to reach 8.19 million by mid-2046, with 36 percent of residents aged 65 or above — a 13.3-percentage point rise from last year.
The SAR experienced an outflow of talent during the COVID-19 pandemic, but its population rose 0.4 percent year-on-year to 7.5 million by the end of 2023. The authorities have pledged to review the Top Talent Pass and similar programs this year, taking into consideration the labor situation and feedback from various quarters of the community.
Officials say they will conduct on-site verification at applicants’ reported work and business locations to ensure compliance with immigration policies.
Contact the writer at tianyuanzhang@chinadailyhk.com
