Aggressive measures to woo talents: CE’s No 1 task

Just 100 days after assuming office, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has started to deliver results. Besides fast-tracking housing solutions, he made the decisive move toward the resumption of quarantine-free travel with the world. That was no easy task, especially in this aging and densely populated city. It required thorough analysis and precise judgment of the situation. The CE, living up to the expectations of the city’s people, has managed to reconnect Hong Kong with the world, which is the very first step to winning back our competitiveness.

But for Lee, there is an even tougher task to fulfill in his upcoming Policy Address, which will have a profound impact on Hong Kong’s future. That is, delivering effective talent policies.
With scarce resources and a limited land area, Hong Kong depends on the creativity and productivity of talents from East and West as its most important propellers of development. However, about 200,000 people left Hong Kong within the past two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from the Immigration Department, many of whom were integral to the city’s success.
Leaving is not easy, but once it becomes a critical mass, getting them back is much harder, even when Hong Kong fully reopens its border. We must be realistic and clear-headed about the fact that the city, despite its unique advantages, is never an irreplaceable destination for global elites to give play to their originality. There is always fierce competition.
So the Hong Kong SAR government can’t just pin its hopes on the regular policies, but has to roll out more aggressive and unconventional measures to attract talents.
To do so, as a starting point, the government has to change its mindset. For a long time, we have had a preferential visa program — namely the Admission Schemes for Talent, Professionals and Entrepreneurs — for which international talents can apply. Hong Kong grants at most 8-year visas for people with top-notch achievements, while our twin-city competitor Singapore offers only 5-year visas. But that may be the only incentive we give to talents. In a word, we only “allow” talents to come. Any services stop the moment we hand out the visa, but what next? The talents have to find solutions to numerous challenges themselves before coming to town, such as, where to live, and which school to send their kids to. 
Regional competitors are stepping ahead. Shenzhen offers housing and living allowances to designated imported talents, to cover their expenses in the city, according to official notices by the government of China’s technology hub. The Singapore government helps talents secure school places for their kids, which caters to one of the biggest demands from outsiders considering settling down there. But us? Basically no assistance. What can Hong Kong do?
In this knowledge- and technology-driven world, where manpower has become a determining factor for development, simply allowing entry is far from enough; we must provide supporting policies in a wide range of domains, and at least assist them to hit the ground running.
For instance, housing. How to cover one of the world’s biggest expenses is definitely an issue. If a city can provide talents with decent and affordable housing, they will put that city at the top of their “go-to list”. And industry policies. Just bringing in individuals is never enough. Talents in many sectors need an ecosystem to unleash their potential. That includes the upstream and downstream of an industry, with supporting industries and professionals.
Moreover, the SAR government must take the initiative to “hunt” for talents.
We have to admit that before this talent exodus, the government took those talents for granted. It only rolls out policies but never promotes them in an adequate way; it is not a go-getter, seeking to “grab” talents from other places.
However, this sit-and-wait game has ended and a let-it-be mentality may fail the city’s status. The government must become a headhunter for the city’s companies and institutions, and go and find talents in accordance with the needs of our organizations.
For instance, the Labour Department could expand its long-existing employment services, which currently focus mainly on hard labor and grassroots jobs, to high-end positions and set up a special task force to go abroad or to the Chinese mainland to find the right talents and invite them to Hong Kong. And they should be steering talent policies instead of leaving that to the Immigration Department. This is how we can compete in this era.
But these measures will not be possible without a designated government agency to plan and implement relevant policies. Singapore has shown us the way by having the Ministry of Manpower in charge of this cause. Hong Kong should similarly upgrade the function of the Labour and Welfare Bureau to make it the engine of the city’s mission talent.  
The bureau will first have to spend time with different industries to understand their demands, compile a talent list in accordance with Hong Kong’s needs, and make it a guidance for all government departments. Then they can roll out relevant policies and give them full play.
And as the policies would be connected to many government units, a high-level policy-making and coordination body — formed by experts and different bureaus, preferably chaired by the chief secretary for administration, or even the chief executive himself — should also be established to guarantee interdepartmental collaboration and professional inputs.
All in all, it is time for change. Witnessing major changes unfolding in our world, we must adapt to the new game and fight hard to win it. Doing so will have a profound impact on Hong Kong’s international status. Among all the tasks that the chief executive has to address, talent is no doubt the number one issue. The people of Hong Kong, and even our 1.4 billion compatriots on the mainland, all expect the chief executive to deliver real results on this very urgent issue, which otherwise will compromise not only the competitiveness of Hong Kong, but also the overall interests of the whole nation.

The author is a member of the Guangdong Province Zhongshan City Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Y. Elites Association.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily