Hong Kong Photo: VCG

In response to the latest World Talent Ranking, which shows that Hong Kong has leaped to fourth place and become the top market in Asia, a spokesperson from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said on Tuesday that the ranking is clear evidence that the policies and measures of the HKSAR government in education, innovation and technology (I&T), and talent admission have found the right direction and are getting results.

The HKSAR government will continue to target the manpower demand of Hong Kong's strategic positioning of "eight centers" and refine the measures in a timely manner, enhance training of relevant local talent, and at the same time further enhance the diversity of the talent pool and effectiveness of the talent attraction measures to strengthen the talent support for the future development of Hong Kong, the spokesperson said. 

Hong Kong climbed five positions to fourth place, its best performance in the observed period and only its third time in the top 10 over the last decade, according to the report released by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD). 

In fourth position this year, Hong Kong's robust performance is driven by improvements across all talent competitiveness actors including "readiness," "investment and development," and most importantly, a significant improvement in "appeal," the report said.  

At the indicator level, Hong Kong's strengths remain similar to 2024 and include graduates in sciences, female labor force participation, availability of finance skills, and the effectiveness of management education. 

"The latest ranking reflects Hong Kong's resilience and competitiveness in the new era of globalization, highlighting its success in attracting and nurturing talent, as well as fostering international cooperation," Liang Haiming, dean of the Belt and Road Research Institute at Hainan University, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

With a world-class higher education system and strong government support for innovation and technology, Hong Kong continues to draw global talent while driving local development, Liang said. 

As a hub within the Greater Bay Area and a bridge under the Belt and Road Initiative, Hong Kong is deepening cooperation in education, research, and innovation, positioning itself as a key driver of regional and global integration, the expert added. 

As at end-August this year, over 520 000 applications were received under various talent admission schemes, with over 350 000 applications approved, the HKSAR government's spokesperson said. Over 230 000 people of talent arrived in Hong Kong through various talent admission schemes over the same period.

A legislative council member Elizabeth Quat who represents the high-tech sector acknowledged the HKSAR government's determination and measures to attract talent, stressing that Hong Kong's goal of developing into an international innovation and technology hub hinges on talent.

Quat told the Global Times on Tuesday that she hopes that the HKSAR government would continue to enhance its various talent admission schemes, introducing top professionals from around the world in line with Hong Kong's future development needs. 

At the same time, she called for improving the curriculum system and the interoperability of qualification frameworks, strengthening the cultivation of local talent in emerging sectors such as the low-altitude economy and artificial intelligence, and advancing high-quality talent development.