HK's labour chief says over half of talent pass holders secure jobs

Over half of the 40,000 people who moved to Hong Kong through the top talent pass scheme (TTPS) have found jobs, the labour minister revealed on Sunday (3 March).

The city's secretary for labour and welfare Chris Sun said at a job fair specifically organised for talent pass holders yesterday that the talent scheme, implemented for over a year since December 2022, has received around 70,000 applications, with 55,000 of them approved. Meanwhile, around 40,000 talents have arrived in Hong Kong.

A government survey conducted among the first batch of talents who arrived in Hong Kong found that 54% have already found jobs in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the remaining talent who are preparing to come to Hong Kong also hope to secure employment. “This group is exactly the high talents we need to assist,” Sun said. 

“Their primary needs are finding employment and starting businesses. Of course, there is also a need for their children's education and social integration. However, finding employment and starting businesses are their top priorities and the biggest challenges they face,” Sun added.

Sun said the government's primary focus is to facilitate the connection between top talent pass holders and companies that require a significant number of skilled individuals to contribute to the economy.

According to Standard, the job fair called "香港高才招聘展覽" has gathered over 100 finance and technology companies, providing a total of 3,000 job vacancies. The offered salaries range from HK$25,000 to HK$100,000.

Sun said he will be visiting Fujian, China for three days, according to the report. He has planned to hold meetings with provincial leaders and officials from various departments, including human resources, social security, civil affairs and commerce.

He is also aiming to engage with enterprises that participate in labour service cooperation with Hong Kong, recipients of the Fujian Scheme under the social security allowance scheme and Hong Kong entrepreneurs who are operating in Fujian.

Don’t miss: 6 key takeaways for the HK marketing community from Budget 2024

Luring talent is one of the main goals for Hong Kong in the upcoming year as laid out in the latest Budget 2024. The government has rolled out several measures in recent years, including the TTPS, to trawl for talent.  In the past year or so, more than 140k applications were approved under various talent admission schemes. About 100k of them have already arrived in Hong Kong.  

Hong Kong’s finance chief Paul Chan said the Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) will organise a global talent summit and the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area High‑quality talent development conference (全球人才高峰會暨粵港澳大灣區人才高質量發展大會) in May to promote Hong Kong's advantages as an international talent hub, enabling the flow of talent among the cities of the GBA.

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