Hong Kong remains attractive to talents amidst population drop: CE Lam

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said she is optimistic that Hong Kong will continue to recruit more talent.

Hong Kong remains an attractive destination for talents, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, assured amidst reports that the population dropped by nearly 90,000.

The city's population dropped by 87,100, or 1.2%, to 7.39 million in mid-2021 from 7.48 million in the same period last year, according to the Census and Statistics Department.

Of this number, 75,300 was due to the net outflow of Hong Kong residents.

“My stance has always been that Hong Kong people have freedom of movement, they have a free mind,” the Chief Executive said at a media session.

“They could decide where to go and when to leave Hong Kong or come back to Hong Kong, particularly for families with young children who may want children to have another form of education.”

Despite the departure of Hong Kong residents, she assured the city remains attractive, citing two key developments.

Chief Executive Lam said the government’s Quality Migrant Admission Scheme saw a significant increase in the number of successful applicants, signaling that more talents are settling in Hong Kong.

In addition, she said the government received more than 100 nominations for the Global STEM Professorship Scheme.

“I am pretty optimistic that with our fundamental strengths and the opportunities available upon integrating into the Mainland development, particularly the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, we will be able to recruit more talents,” she said.