Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Lam Chun-sing and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (June 17):
Question:
The Government has introduced the Technical Professionals (TP) Stream under the General Employment Policy (GEP) and the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP) with effect from June 30, 2025, allowing eligible non-degree professionals to apply for entry into Hong Kong to engage in eight specific skilled trades. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the respective numbers of applications received, approved and refused, to date, in respect of new industrialisation technicians under the TP Stream of the GEP and the ASMTP, with a breakdown by the scope of work involved as declared (i.e. smart/automated manufacturing and robotics engineering, mechanical engineering/mechatronics engineering, biomedical engineering and microelectronics engineering); among the aforesaid approved applications, the distribution of the applicants by age and monthly remuneration;
President,
As Hong Kong is facing an ageing workforce and a lack of new entrants, some skilled trades needed to sustain Hong Kong’s city operation are also facing acute talent succession gaps. To address these challenges, in addition to continuing to strengthen the training for the local workforce, the Government has also introduced a new channel under the General Employment Policy (GEP) and the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (New Arrangement) from June 30, 2025, to allow non-degree mid-level professionals aged under 40 with qualifications and experience as specified in the Technical Professional List to apply to come to Hong Kong to undertake designated jobs, and attract them to settle in Hong Kong in the long run. The New Arrangement covers eight specified skilled trades facing acute manpower shortage, including new industrialisation technicians, nurses, aircraft maintenance technicians, marine services technicians (for local vessels), information technology technicians, lift/escalator technicians, building information modeling coordinators and electrical technicians.
In consultation with the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, Transport and Logistics Bureau, and the Immigration Department (ImmD), the reply to the Member’s question is as follows:
The ImmD does not maintain the statistics mentioned in the question.