On April 25, Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Chris Sun, mentioned that the government has revised the Talent List Hong Kong to expand it, targeting the development of eight key sectors in Hong Kong and including professionals in areas where there are shortages.
Regarding the revision of the list, Sun noted that the expanded list now covers 60 professions. He will report on this issue to the Legislative Council's Panel on Manpower on Monday (April 21) and listen to various opinions. On the topic of importing labor, he emphasized that both the three Sector-specific Labour Importation Schemes and the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme prioritize local employment. Additionally, employers must conduct local recruitment before submitting applications.
He stressed that during the review of these schemes, the voices of labor and the business community will be carefully considered, and decisions will be made based on facts and pragmatism.
Sun mentioned that when the government implemented the Enhanced Supplementary Labor Scheme in September 2023, it committed to running the program for two years before reviewing it based on operational experience. The current review is being conducted based on the facts, data, and various circumstances available to the government.
In addition to those, Sun also discussed information related to the first batch of the Top Talent Pass Scheme. He stated that approximately 10,000 of these visas will expire mid-year, and the government hopes to collect more data to draw objective conclusions before making any announcements, but he believes the renewal situation will be satisfactory.
Related News:
HK to shift focus from attracting to retaining talent: Chris Sun
No intermediary needed for talent scheme, ImmD ensures strict checks: Chris Sun
Comment