STORY: Over half of Hong Kong top talent scheme arrivals in employment
SHOOTING TIME: file
DATELINE: Jan. 23, 2025
LENGTH: 00:00:47
LOCATION: HONG KONG, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of street views of Hong Kong

STORYLINE:

More than half of people coming to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) through the Top Talent Pass Scheme have been in employment, said HKSAR Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun on Wednesday.

Launched in December 2022, the scheme had received over 116,000 applications as of the end of last year. Of these applications, nearly 92,000 were approved.

Through the scheme, Sun said, more than 75,000 talents have arrived in Hong Kong with their families. Most of the talents in employment, according to the secretary, have taken up managerial and professional jobs with median monthly employment earnings of about 50,000 HK dollars.

Sun said that the scheme entrants and their spouses contribute directly to Hong Kong's economy. More than half are aged under 40 and many have brought young children with them. The scheme thereby adds new impetus to the local labor force and brings about a positive impact on Hong Kong's demographic structure. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.78 HK dollars).

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hong Kong, China.
(XHTV)