This undated photo shows a view of the Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong. (PHOTO / IC)
HONG KONG – To enrich its talent pool, Hong Kong intends to attract at least 35,000 leading global talents in the next three years, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said Wednesday.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said Hong Kong will attract leading innovation and technology talents from around the globe so that they could bring with them their businesses “or R&D outcomes to Hong Kong”
In a reply to a query at the Legislative Council, Sun said the target figure is an increase of 40 percent over the annual average number in 2020 and 2021 and will cover leading talents of different industries and fields.
“The government has set key performance indicator for the measures to trawl for talents, targeting to admit at least 35,000 talents annually with an intended duration of stay of at least 12 months through the talent admission schemes from 2023 to 2025,” Sun said.
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He said Hong Kong will attract leading innovation and technology talents from around the globe so that they could bring with them their businesses “or R&D outcomes to Hong Kong”.
Key performance indicators have been set up attract not less than 100 high-potential or representative I&T enterprises to set up or expand their businesses in Hong Kong in the coming five years, including at least 20 top-notch I&T enterprises, Sun said.
These would bring in more than $10 billion of investment to Hong Kong and create thousands of local job opportunities, he added.
Sun said the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES) will formulate attractive “special facilitation measures covering aspects” such as land, tax and financing that are applicable exclusively to target enterprises, and provide one-stop facilitation services in areas such as visa application and education arrangement for their children.
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He also said that Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau will collaborate with OASES to negotiate with the enterprises or businesses to be brought in by leading I&T talents to provide them with tailor-made plans to facilitate the setting up of their operations in Hong Kong.
The government will set up the Advisory Committee on Attracting Strategic Enterprises, comprising representatives from relevant business sectors and social leaders, to advise the Financial Secretary on the overall strategy, he said.
Sun also said that a new Top Talent Pass Scheme targeting at high-income talents or graduates from the world's top 100 universities will be launched, covering top-notch talents in various industries.
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“Any individual meeting the requirement of annual salary reaching HK$2.5 million ($318,000) in the past year or graduation from the world's top 100 universities on four designated world university ranking lists can apply for a two-year visa to explore opportunities in Hong Kong,” he said.