In December, a full-page advertisement published in Australian newspapers, The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times introduced Hong Kong's fundamentals and reassured the world the international financial hub will soldier through difficulties.
In addition to top professionals in finance and business, academic talents in science and technology are also in great demand, as Hong Kong perseveres in its attempt to become a global sci-tech hub.
Our Hong Kong Foundation - a think tank founded by former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa - suggested the Hong Kong government relax eligibility requirements for the Technology Talents Admission Scheme.
The three-year pilot program provides fast-track recruitment for local technology companies or institutes engaged in biotechnology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics, data analytics, financial technologies or material sciences.
It also requires that for every three non-local talents hired, the Hong Kong organization needs to employ one local full-time employee for at least a year.
In a newly released report, the think tank said the matching requirement could burden sci-tech startups and small-and-medium enterprises with having to hire additional staff.
"It is important for the government to adjust the matching requirement for a better balance between safeguarding job opportunities for locals and supporting startups and SMEs," the report read.
Moreover, the government should extend the program to professionals from a range of technology-related fields, such as intellectual property protection and data management, to fully release the city's potential in research and development, it suggested.
Recruitment of talents is one of the key factors in an increasingly globalized world. The troubles over the summer have raised strong headwinds as the city struggles to make progress.
Source: China Daily
