Tech job fair attracts hundreds of new arrivals

On Sunday (Nov. 19), Science Park hosted a tech job fair attended by some 300 individuals who qualified for the government's Top Talent Pass Scheme.

A total of 40 companies in microelectronics, AI and data, as well as biotechnology, were there to interview job seekers from the mainland and overseas.

The Science and Technology Parks Corporation and the newly-formed Hong Kong Top Talent Services Association, which serves recently arrived migrants in the SAR, co-hosted the event.

Lawmaker Wendy Hong was there to host a panel discussion with industry leaders. Speaking on a program on Monday (Nov. 20), she said the innovation and technology sector needed a bigger talent pool the coming years.

"We are facing challenges in finding enough talent in the skilled workforce," she said.

"HK is actually facing a shrinking labor force because of several other reasons. And the I&T sector, in particular, it's no surprise for me that the Science Park has been short of tech workers constantly."

Hong said the sector needed to be expanded in an ambitious way, and help should be provided to make sure new arrivals can find schools for their children, and work.

Skilled mainland workers were now important stakeholders in HK society and she called on the government to look at expanding the SAR's industrial base so new arrivals could find work, she added.

"Those talents are mobile. They are pursuing career development opportunities worldwide and you know, actually, HK we have a big percentage of universities and postgraduate students studying science and technology in universities. It's difficult to keep them because we don't have the industrial base and they cannot find promising career development opportunities in HK."

She also urged the private sector to help match jobseekers with work.