Hong Kong’s heavy reliance on hiring workers from mainland China could lead to a “downgrade” of its status as an international hub, experts said, after data showed that 94.5 per cent of successful top talent scheme applicants came from across the border.
Industry veterans and a lawmaker on Thursday called for a strategic shift towards Middle East and Asean talent amid geopolitical tensions, though others cautioned that Hong Kong still struggled with Muslim-friendly workplaces and job mismatches.
Launched in December 2022, the scheme was designed to attract high-income professionals and graduates from top universities as a way to tackle the brain drain following the 2019 anti-government protests and the Covid pandemic.
Applicants categorised as “others” ranked second with 3,051 approvals, though the Immigration Department provided no breakdown, followed by Canada with 1,349.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han attributed the trend to “deepened cooperation” with the mainland, but stressed that the city would continue to “proactively promote its strengths globally”.


















