Hong Kong youths are increasingly looking to align their careers with national development, drawn by vast opportunities on the Chinese mainland — a trend expected to deepen as the nation enters its 15th Five-Year Plan period, job seekers and employers said at a job fair on Friday.

The fair, organized by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s Labour Department, introduced job opportunities under the city’s Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme — a program that subsidizes companies in the nine mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for hiring Hong Kong residents aged 29 or below with sub-degree qualifications or above.

Businesses can apply for an allowance from the Hong Kong SAR government of 60 percent of the Hong Kong employee’s monthly salary, with a cap of HK$12,000 ($1,533) per month, for up to 18 months.

Over 20 organizations participated in Friday’s job fair held in Mong Kok, offering vacancies such as engineer, assistant quantity surveyor, graphic and multimedia designer, accountant, math instructor, graduate intern, human resources and administration officer.

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Gary Wong Chi-him, chief Hong Kong and Macao liaison expert of the Authority of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone of Shenzhen, spoke highly of the fair’s role in attracting more Hong Kong youths to integrate into national development.

Wong hosted a seminar at the fair to brief job seekers about the opportunities in Qianhai. He spoke to China Daily that the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) has set important targets for Hong Kong's development, proposing to consolidate, enhance, build and develop the "four centers and one highland" positioning of the city. Mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area are undoubtedly set play an important role during this process, added Wong.

“We hope to motivate more companies to provide working opportunities to Hong Kong youths, as well as attracting more Hong Kong youths to devote themselves to the development of the Greater Bay Area,” Wong said,

Wong said he believed that such interaction between Hong Kong and mainland cities can help cultivate more talents, and consolidate Hong Kong’s role as an international finance center.

The Greater Bay Area keeps changing and growing, which is believed to spur the curiosity of Hong Kong youth, Wong noted.

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Ng Chi-yi and Wei Yuxuan were among the job seekers at the fair. They had studied at  Jinan University in Guangzhou, and are familiar with the mainland lifestyle.

Wei said she has studied an artificial intelligence-related major, and the mainland has made rapid advances in technology, which she found attractive. “Opportunities to work in mainland cities also enable us to know more about the mainland, and hopefully to contribute our efforts to the overall development,” they agreed.

“Currently, Hong Kong youth knew too little about the country,” said Kwan, a parent who come to get information at the fair. She said the Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme can help youth know more about the nation, especially the Greater Bay Area’s development, which is beneficial to their personal growth.

Hong Kong youth can have more chances to meet colleagues from different regions by working in the mainland, and be exposed to various cultures, she added.

For recruiters, the international perspective and interpersonal communication skills of Hong Kong youths are important qualities.

Ye Jiaxian, who works in human resources for Sonus Hong Kong Limited, an audio device company which is planning to expand in Southeast Asia, said Hong Kong youths who come from diverse educational backgrounds are likely to promote the company’s business development strategy. Experience from working in other Greater Bay Area cities can undoubtedly help Hong Kong youth know the nation’s development, and motivate coordinated development in GBA, Ye said.

Ting, a staff member from Tencent — a leading internet and technology company, said that it has provided jobs in 10 categories for Hong Kong youths at the fair. She said mainland companies offer numerous opportunities and have large platforms, enabling Hong Kong students to expand their strengths and explore more possibilities, as well as gaining deeper insights into mainland industry development.

Under the program, the communication between Hong Kong and mainland can be facilitated, she added.

Contact the writer at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com