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HK has practical ways to attract professionals from the outside world
In response to the upcoming Smart City Blueprint for Hong Kong 2.0, the Legislative Council reviewed smart city development in Hong Kong in early June.
Since the launch of the first blueprint in 2017, the government has officially promoted development in six areas of a smart city; namely, smart mobility, smart living, smart environment, smart people, smart government, and smart economy. There are remarkable successes, like the Faster Payment System, which recorded 4.86 million account registrations in less than two years; the smart airport expanded mobile smart check-in services to places outside the airport; the Autonomous Electric Tractor has been deployed to deliver luggage; the Monetary Authority issued eight virtual banking licenses last year to promote fintech development, etc.
However, the progress in some other areas is not quite admirable, especially in the area of smart people, in attracting foreign talent. According to a research brief from the Legislative Council Secretariat in early June, our various talent admission schemes "have met with limited success, which has aroused concern over Hong Kong's competitiveness in attracting talent."
Titled Global Competition for Talent, the report mentioned that the number of applications for working in Hong Kong submitted and approved under the General Employment Policy from 2010-19 has increased significantly, and the total number of expatriates residing in Hong Kong did not increase, but dropped instead within the same period. The number of entrants under the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals obtaining right of abode also reflected negatively on their willingness to stay in Hong Kong; it estimated that only 12 percent would eventually apply for permanent residency after seven years of residence.
This echoes with a report jointly launched by the employment- oriented social platform LinkedIn and Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management last year. According to the Digital Economy and Talent Development Report in China's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, although Hong Kong ranks among the top three cities regarding the size of its talent pool and in terms of talent exchange, Hong Kong is far less attractive to mainland talent when compared with the top two, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.
With reference to the Legislative Council's research brief, the reason behind this is the high cost of living, which "has undermined Hong Kong's competitiveness". After deducting the cost of living, the actual salary offered to overseas talent is almost the same as that of the mainland and Singapore. Therefore, it is difficult to attract foreign talent. This is certainly a big problem for Hong Kong. However, the San Francisco Bay Area of the United States is also known for its expensive living, but still, there is a wealth of talent. Therefore, we have to review the problem in two other aspects:
1. Whether the development space for high-tech talent in Hong Kong is enough to attract professionals from outside Hong Kong.
2. Can we train more local technical professionals and reduce the dependence on migration from outside?
In the five years since the establishment of the Innovation and Technology Bureau, the government has invested more than HK$100 billion ($12.9 billion) in the development of innovation and technology. In the area of high-level basic scientific research, which has no immediate commercial objective but may ultimately be commercialized, or the so-called "upstream part", Hong Kong is well-known within the region and internationally, but the circle is very small, and the development space is limited. The fact that not many research and development (R&D) results are commercialized has long been criticized.
To optimize the return of our huge investment, the government should strengthen the middle and lower stream of R&D; that is, commercial development. It can encourage the smart manufacturing industry, including robotics, the Internet of Things, 3D printing, etc, to flourish. All these types of jobs require technical personnel with considerable expertise. The income of these highly skilled jobs is naturally higher than that of low-skilled workers. According to a Tech Nation Report from the United Kingdom, the average salary for a job that requires digital tech skills is 42,578 pounds ($53,300), 30 percent higher than those that do not.
But do we currently have enough skilled personnel if we are to develop these fields of industry?
If the government can foster cooperation between universities and scientific research organizations to connect the upstream, middle, and lower stream of R&D, we can transform the small fish pond into a blue ocean. Like Silicon Valley, despite high property prices and cost of living, it remains a strong magnet for high-quality tech talent globally.
In addition, we can cultivate more local high-tech talents that the industry needs, providing students with skills for which the industry has been looking.
The California Council on Science and Technology consolidated the opinions of the academic, industry and research leaders, and concluded that schools should be transformed into "incubators of learning and innovation", so that the skills and competencies gained would be directly applicable in the workplace. By putting practice into learning, the graduates won't need much training when starting their first jobs.
This reminds me of my experience of working as a summer worker in my father's electrical appliance shop. From the job, I learned how to deal with people in real life; it trained my skills of sales and marketing, which greatly facilitated my future career. However, today's commercial environment has changed, and there are relatively fewer summer jobs. Many parents also prefer to send their children to summer tutorial classes or have them participate in extracurricular activities. Therefore, schools have become the sole training ground for future careers.
In recent years, many schools have used STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) as the highlight in extracurricular activities. This is a good start. However, if these activities can be better coordinated with the industry, they can achieve three benefits with one move, broadening students' knowledge of science and technology, stimulating innovative ideas, and laying the foundation for future work.
Does this sound like a fantasy? The COVID-19 epidemic reignited the long-lost industrial production in Hong Kong, though the technology content of the required products is not high. If we can apply artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, big data analysis and 3D-printing technology to manufacture high-tech and personalized products with the reusable masks being able to filter the air, predict the risk of infection, and monitor user's personal health conditions such as cardiopulmonary function, breath changes, and emotional fluctuations, then we are another step forward. The data can be uploaded to an application platform, which helps medical staff analyze the big data and follow up on health issues. Experts have anticipated that people would have to wear masks for a long period of time.
If the development of smart masks can be accomplished as soon as possible, it may create an emerging industry!
Dr. Winnie Tang
Adjunct Professor, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering; Department of Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences; and Faculty of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong