'Hong Kong Govt's Plan To Lure IT Talent Doomed'

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2018-05-24 HKT 18:36

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  Members of the IT Vision says it is better to retrain local employees than trying to attract talent from overseas. Photo: RTHK

William Lai talks to RTHK's Iris Yeung

A group of IT professionals warned on Thursday that a government scheme to lure overseas technology experts to work in Hong Kong is doomed to fail because the city is simply not attractive enough.

The government set aside HK$50 billion in this year's budget to boost innovation and technology, including a recruitment scheme targeting top overseas and mainland talent.

But William Lai from IT Vision said the fact that local tech firms aren't willing to pay top dollar for talent, coupled with Hong Kong's high living costs, put the city at a disadvantage.

Most people would prefer to work in other places like Shenzhen, where the pay is better and costs are lower, he said.

Lai told RTHK's Iris Yeung that the government should instead focus on re-training existing workers in the sector.