Hong Kong has surged to a record fourth place globally in the 2025 World Talent Ranking, a remarkable advance from last year’s ninth place, bolstered by the city’s improvement on appeal and career prospects.
In the ranking published on Tuesday by the Switzerland-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD), Hong Kong was ranked first in Asia, securing first place for percentage of graduates in sciences, third place for availability of finance skills, and fifth place for remuneration of management as well as effectiveness of management education.
Notably, for the second consecutive year, the city improved across all three talent competitiveness factors, namely "Readiness", "Investment and Development" and “Appeal”, ranking third, 12th and 20th respectively.
READ MORE: Hong Kong climbs to ninth place in world talent ranking
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the improved ranking mirrors the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government's enhanced efforts on education and talent development in recent years.
Addressing a summit focusing on the collaboration between Hong Kong and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Lee underscored IMD's acknowledgment of Hong Kong's exceptional academic accomplishments, noting that Hong Kong stands out as the only city worldwide with five universities among the top 100 globally. These institutions cultivate top-tier scientists and research talent across various fields. Lee said he believes that by harnessing the capabilities of these elite talents, Hong Kong is “fast rising as an innovation and technology hub”.
In a social media post, Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki highlighted that in recent years, Hong Kong has introduced a range of initiatives to attract talent.
Coupled with the development opportunities that the city boasts, an increasing number of global elites from diverse sectors have come to contribute to Hong Kong's growth, Chan said.
He also noted that the children and relatives of these talents who relocate to Hong Kong will also play a vital role in the city's future workforce, injecting fresh energy into its development.
READ MORE: New IMD ranking negates ‘Hong Kong decline’ notion
Chan pledged greater efforts to maintain close ties with various stakeholders, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing to facilitate the integration of talent into Hong Kong, particularly in the education and technology sectors.
A government spokesperson said that as of end-August, over 520,000 applications had been received under various talent admission programs, and over 350,000 had been approved.
The government will persist in addressing Hong Kong's manpower needs in alignment with its strategic "eight centers" positioning, enhance training of local talent, and at the same time diversify the talent pool through various talent attraction measures, added the spokesperson.
Contact the writer at amberwu@chinadailyhk.com
