Leveraging its advantages and taking positive actions, Hong Kong will build a "new highland" for global talent gathering

In recent years, some Western media have clamored about Hong Kong's declining competitiveness and attractiveness. But what about the real situation?

According to the website of the Hong Kong SAR Government, from mid-2022 to mid-2023, Hong Kong had a net inflow of 17,4 people, and as of November 2023, the Hong Kong SAR Government has received more than 11,20 applications for various talent introduction schemes, of which more than 12,8 have been approved and 3,5 have arrived in Hong Kong, far exceeding the target of at least 2023,<> talents per year. In the World Talent Report <> released by the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland, Hong Kong ranked second in Asia. Facts have fully proved that Hong Kong has maintained a good momentum and strong advantages in attracting talents, and is still an ideal city for global talents.

Hong Kong's talent attraction policy is proactive, pragmatic and effective

Behind a series of statistics is the Hong Kong SAR Government's positive attitude of looking at the world, thirsty for talents, and the pragmatic measures to attract talents. Chief Executive John Lee said that talent is the primary resource, and it is necessary to give full play to Hong Kong's advantages of "one country, two systems" in the global "war for talent" and encourage talents from all over the world to seek development in Hong Kong. To this end, the SAR Government has actively planned the layout and taken multiple measures to "build a nest to attract phoenixes" and attract talents from all over the world.

-- Relying on the talent introduction project, we will promote the conditional "relocation of talents to Hong Kong". Since the inauguration of the new HKSAR Government in July 2022, it has intensively introduced a package of highly targeted and high-value talent introduction plans for high-level talents, talents and professionals from all over the world. For talents with rich work experience and high academic qualifications, the "Top Talent Pass Scheme" has been launched and the list of universities covered has been expanded to open up channels for high-quality talents from all over the world to start their own businesses in Hong Kong; for outstanding talents who meet specific conditions, the "Quality Migrant Admission Scheme" has been launched to appropriately relax restrictions to attract various types of talents, and for professionals with specific expertise, a series of projects have been launched respectively, such as the "Global Innovation Science Professorship Scheme", "Capital Investment Entrant Scheme" and "Residence Scheme for Vocational and Professional Education Graduates", so as to enhance Hong Kong's expertise in science and technology, Development advantages in the fields of finance and professional technology. Over the past year, it has attracted tens of thousands of top talents from various industries, including Li Cheng, former director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution, to settle down and work in Hong Kong, and has achieved remarkable results.

-- Taking the promotion of international personnel exchanges as the starting point, and promoting talents to have the opportunity to "know Hong Kong". The HKSAR Government is actively preparing for the establishment of various international organisations in Hong Kong, organising international activities to facilitate people-to-people exchanges, and encouraging talents from all over the world to continue to understand, love and take root in Hong Kong. Over the past year, Hong Kong has promoted the establishment of the "Hong Kong International Legal Talent Training Institute" and the "Hong Kong International Institute of Integrity", and the preparatory office of the International Institute for Mediation has been established in Hong Kong to provide a platform for international talents in related fields to come to Hong Kong for exchange and work, and a series of important international conferences and activities have been held, such as the International Financial Leaders Investment Summit, the "Future Investment Initiative" PRIORITY Summit, and the "Innovative Hong Kong - International Talent Carnival 2023". Global Talent Summit and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Talent High-quality Development Conference" and other activities continue to create a warm atmosphere for Hong Kong's elites to gather together. In addition, the HKSAR Government attaches great importance to bilateral consular co-operation, liberalises the visa policy for Vietnamese talents to work in Hong Kong, relaxes the application threshold for Vietnamese people to enter Hong Kong under the "multiple visas" for business and tourism, and will promote the opening up of Lao and Nepalese talents to work in Hong Kong.

-- Backed by supporting safeguard measures, we will encourage talents to "stay in Hong Kong" with guarantees. The HKSAR Government has set up a Talent Services Office to provide corresponding support to talents who intend to come to Hong Kong or have just arrived in Hong Kong in terms of living, working and children's education, so as to assist them in their long-term development in Hong Kong. Launched the "Talent Service Window" online platform to provide immediate support to talents arriving in Hong Kong and follow up on their development and needs in Hong Kong. Members of the Legislative Council also joined hands with universities to set up the "TTPS" Talent Service Association to provide professional advice, cultural activities and daily life assistance for high-end people from all walks of life to better integrate into Hong Kong society. Such supporting safeguard measures provide service support for talents to live and develop in Hong Kong, and promote them to come to Hong Kong with peace of mind.

Hong Kong is blessed with unique advantages in attracting talents

The Hong Kong SAR Government's package of policies and measures has opened up channels, clarified the direction and provided guarantees for Hong Kong to build a "reservoir" of international talents. At the same time, Hong Kong's current vast opportunities and unique advantages have also become a solid foundation and a strong motivation for international talents to "want to come to Hong Kong" and "want to come to Hong Kong".

-- "Time" is a good opportunity to create a good macro environment. Over the past three years and more, the Hong Kong National Security Law has been vigorously implemented, the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" has been effectively implemented, and Hong Kong has entered a new stage of governance and prosperity, and its social outlook has taken on a new look. Citizens live and work in peace and contentment, the rights and freedoms enjoyed in accordance with the law are effectively guaranteed, and economic and social development is back on the right track. All these have provided a good political ecology and a stable social environment for global talents to start their own businesses in Hong Kong. In recent years, Chinese mainland's high-level opening-up has reached a new level, and the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has been further promoted, further enhancing Hong Kong's attractiveness and making Hong Kong increasingly a "strong magnetic field" for gathering global talents.

——The advantage of "geographical advantage" provides broad development opportunities. Under the framework of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong has the unique advantage of being backed by the motherland and connected to the world. At the same time, Hong Kong is an important transportation hub in the Asia-Pacific region and even the world, sitting on the status of the three major centers of international finance, trade and shipping, with rich resources and a high degree of internationalization in the fields of education, medical care, elderly care, science and technology, infrastructure and other fields, providing broad opportunities and platforms for talents to live and work in peace and contentment, and forming a unique condition to attract a large number of international and professional talents to gather here.

——The foundation of "people" paves the road ahead. Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the CPC Central Committee, said that the country attaches great importance to the important role played by Hong Kong in the field of talents, and should establish a "reservoir" of talents to provide strong talent support for the development of the "one country, two systems" cause. The Chief Executive and Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have expressed their intention to help lead Hong Kong into an international talent hub and make new contributions to the country's high-quality development. The Central Government and the HKSAR Government have worked together to lay a solid foundation for Hong Kong to attract talents.

Hong Kong's prospects for attracting talents are broad and bright

Planting the sycamore tree attracts the golden phoenix. Experts and analysts believe that Hong Kong has achieved positive results in building a new highland for international talents, and in the future, it needs to plan for a long time, continue to introduce pragmatic measures, and write new achievements in the answer sheet for attracting talents.

-- Targeted policies to achieve "entry" of talents. On the basis of the current extensive talent attraction measures, Hong Kong can increase the pertinence of talent introduction, do a good job in forecasting and evaluating Hong Kong's human resources market, focus on local demand, and launch new talent attraction measures to target key points and shortcomings. For specific groups of people such as top scientific research talents with international influence, it is necessary to take the initiative to "look at the thatched house" to ensure that the work of attracting talents achieves tangible and sustained results.

-- Improve measures to ensure that talents are "retained". It is necessary to look at the world to attract talents, but also to retain talents with heart and affection. Hong Kong can improve relevant measures in areas such as housing, employment, children's schooling, and community integration, do a good job in ensuring talent services, create a comfortable environment for talent development, encourage talents to take root and contribute to Hong Kong, and ensure that talents can both "enter" and "stay".

-- Intensify external propaganda to ensure that the advantages are "sung loudly". Relying on its close ties with the international community, Hong Kong can encourage people from all walks of life and forces to jointly carry out overseas publicity work on the talent introduction policy, tell Hong Kong's story well, refute all kinds of rumors and rumors, and correct Hong Kong's name, so as to attract more overseas talents to develop in Hong Kong with more confidence and confidence.

Mount Tai does not let the soil, so it can become its big, and the river and the sea do not choose a trickle, so it can be deep. In the future, I believe that Hong Kong will be able to open up the door to attract talents, cultivate fertile soil for talent development, promote the gathering of talents from all walks of life, and the flow of inspiration and talents, so as to play a new movement in the construction of Hong Kong's talent highland!