Wider Range Of Measures Needed To Lure Talent: Expert

An employment specialist said on Friday that Hong Kong needs to address underlying structural issues if it wants to attract and retain talent.

The government said on Thursday that it would allow students in their penultimate year of university to apply for civil service jobs, instead waiting until the final year.

But Roy Ying, co-chair of the advocacy and policy research committee at the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management, said this is just one of several measures the government should consider, including addressing the SAR's falling birth rate and ageing population.

He said the government could consider importing labour, changing immmigration policy, encouraging more hiring from ethnic minorities, attracting women back to the workforce and raising the retirement age.

"These are all things that can be done to increase the ... talent available in Hong Kong to address the manpower issue," Ying told RTHK.

Ying said the civil service had always been an attractive career option because of its higher pay and stability, and the government's latest move would encourage the private to start recruiting from universities earlier as well.