Editorial | Hong Kong must ensure it’s more than a revolving door for talent
While remaining open to immigrants, the city must continue to fine-tune its talent recruitment measures and address the brain drain
Thanks to the inflow under various immigration measures, the midyear population was described by the government as “virtually unchanged” when compared to the same period last year. There was just a slight increase of 3,400 from 12 months ago, or a rise of about 0.005 per cent, to 7,527,500. It marked an increase of more than 180,000 compared with mid-2022, according to the Census and Statistics Department.
Officials say the various measures on talent attraction and labour importation continue to benefit the city. The influx has offset the impact of natural decrease resulting from more deaths than births during the year, thereby stabilising the overall population.
The situation would have been worse had the government sat back and done nothing. The city is fortunate to have an edge in attracting talent from the mainland and elsewhere because of its unique strengths under the governance model of “one country, two systems”. But there are also questions about the actual benefits for the economy and society, amid concerns that some talent might not stay long after getting Hong Kong identity cards.
Dismissing concerns over the city’s appeal, officials said the talent schemes had always been “a two-way selection process”. True as it is, it also means the city’s economic and demographic issues cannot be resolved by just opening the door wide.