Beijing to help Hong Kong rake in talent from mainland China and overseas, nation’s labour chief says
Beijing will work in tandem with Hong Kong authorities to make the city more attractive to talent from mainland China and the rest of the world, the country’s top official overseeing labour policies has said.
Wang Xiaoping, the country’s human resources and social security minister, made the pledge at Hong Kong’s two-day Global Talent Summit on Tuesday as the city’s labour chief said local authorities would focus on attracting more professionals from Southeast Asia and Europe.
Wang also reiterated the country’s support for Hong Kong’s efforts to become an international talent hub, as well as its drive to become a more entrepreneur-friendly environment.
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“China today has become fertile ground for talent from all walks of life, while Hong Kong has ushered in the best period for fostering the economy and development,” she said. “We are willing to work with the Hong Kong government … to build a stronger talent foundation.
“We look forward to talent from all walks of life at home and abroad … exploring opportunities in China, especially in Hong Kong. They can make full use of opportunities produced by the country’s high-quality development and Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability to realise their dreams.”
Wang’s ministry falls under the purview of China’s State Council. It oversees national labour policy standards and manages the country’s social security system.
At the summit, Wang said she had asked the relevant authorities in the Greater Bay Area to further support mainlanders as they developed their careers in Hong Kong.
The bay area refers to Beijing’s ambitious initiative to transform Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland cities into an integrated hi-tech, economic powerhouse by 2035.
Tuesday’s summit also included the International Talent Forum, as well as the Second Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area High-quality Talent Development Conference.
Wang Xiaoping (left), the country’s human resources and social security minister, and Hong Kong leader John Lee are attending the Global Talent Summit. Photo: Eugene Lee
Organisers hoped to welcome 7,000 attendees for the entire summit, both in person and attending remotely.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also spoke at the event, noting nearly 180,000 applications under various talent entry schemes had been approved as of the end of last month.
He also said that more than 120,000 people had arrived in Hong Kong so far this year under various initiatives.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han in his summit speech said talent from the mainland accounted for a large proportion of the applicants, vowing to step up efforts to seek talent from other parts of the world.
“One of our focuses in the future will be Southeast Asia,” he said. “We will attract more talent from our neighbouring regions to come to Hong Kong. In addition, we will go to Europe.”
The high-level event is being held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai alongside the CareerConnect Expo for human resources agencies and recruitment platforms.
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