Mainland engineers seen as key to filling Hong Kong's talent gap
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Mainland China's extensive engineering talent pool offers Hong Kong companies a viable solution to their persistent talent shortages, according to industry leaders speaking during a recent Greater Bay Area media tour. The six-day tour, organised by the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, showcased how Hong Kong firms can leverage mainland resources to scale up operations and drive innovation.
Key Points
- The media tour visited multiple sites including the Guangzhou HKUST Fok Ying Tung Research Institute in Nansha district, a cargo facility in Dongguan, and a university in the same city
- Gao Min, general director of the Guangzhou HKUST Fok Ying Tung Research Institute, noted that a startup needing 500 engineers could assemble such a team quickly on the mainland but would find it virtually impossible in Hong Kong
- Hong Kong has reserved large areas of land in the Northern Metropolis for innovation and technology development, yet local engineering talent supply remains insufficient for large-scale industry growth
- CYC Group, a Hong Kong company developing tech-enabled bicycles, established an office in Dongguan in 2023 to access the region's dense supply-chain network and deep technical talent pool
- Founder Jon Chan explained that recruiting veteran electronic engineers with 20 to 30 years of specialised experience was extremely difficult in Hong Kong, while mainland recruitment was far more convenient, with some engineers commuting from Shenzhen to Dongguan
Why It Matters
The collaboration model demonstrated by companies like CYC Group and supported by research institutions points to a sustainable pathway for Hong Kong's tech industry development, allowing the city to focus on foundational research while leveraging mainland manufacturing expertise and workforce scalability to bring innovations to market .
The collaboration model demonstrated by companies like CYC Group and supported by research institutions points to a sustainable pathway for Hong Kong's tech industry development, allowing the city to focus on foundational research while leveraging mainland manufacturing expertise and workforce scalability to bring innovations to market .