Hong Kong is planning to redouble efforts to attract overseas talents to enhance the city’s international competitiveness, by bolstering overseas visits and promotional events, and inviting leading talents to visit the city.
Under Secretary for Labour and Welfare Ho Kai-ming said on Tuesday that in 2025, the Hong Kong Talent Engage Office (HKTE) will hold promotional events to attract talent from Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, and North America.
During a regular meeting of the Legislative Council’s sub-committee for newly-arrived talents, Legislator Lam Chun-Sing said that most applicants for the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTP) come from the Chinese mainland, with foreign applicants making up less than 5 percent.
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Lam suggested that the Talent Engage Office should focus on attracting talents from specific industries when promoting and recruiting globally.
He cited Malaysia as an example, where many people work in the innovation and technology sector, making it a potential focus for recruitment.
Ho responded that although the TTP is popular among mainland talents, 40 percent of the applicants graduated from overseas universities, and 25 percent hold foreign passports, indicating that the program is also attractive to foreign talents.
In the year ahead, the office will place greater emphasis on increasing the international elements in talent introduction policies.
Officials also discussed other issues related to talent introduction. Lawmaker Tan Yueheng noted that the number of job vacancies displayed on the Talent Engage’s online platform-HKTE, is fewer than those on mainstream recruitment websites. Tan advised that the office should strengthen its connection with labor market.
HKTE director Anthony Lau Chun-hon replied that not all positions on mainstream recruitment websites are suitable for talents. The office platform filters out entry-level and duplicate positions, displaying only higher-quality jobs. Yet, in future, they will explore cooperation with more recruitment websites, he said.
Legislator Doreen Kong Yuk-Foon expressed concerns about the actual operation of HKTE. She said she found that although the platform is rich in information, its layout is cluttered and does not fully consider the information needs of talents.
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Lau noted that the office is prepared to revamp its online platform, providing more diverse, interactive, and user-friendly information services through a new website interface, adding a chatbot feature to better address general inquiries from talents.
Lau also emphasized the importance of continuing to expand the office’s social media platforms. For example, they have already created an account on Xiaohongshu- one of the mainland’s most popular social media platforms - to enhance online promotional activities.
Regarding cooperation with the mainland, Ho noted that in 2025, the office will collaborate with Guangdong province to conduct overseas activities promoting development opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area .
Contact the writer at fangxue@chinadailyhk.com
