In recent years, many people in Hong Kong have moved abroad, leading to an increasing talent gap in related industries. It is expected that financial professionals who have not yet left Hong Kong will have opportunities for significant salary increases and promotions.

According to relevant reports quoting statements from headhunting companies, executives, and employers in the financial and digital asset industries, it is understood that due to limited cross-border access between Hong Kong and abroad, there is a severe shortage of industry talent, and there is an urgent need to raise salaries to retain talent in the short term.

Christine Houston, Managing Director of headhunting company ESGI, stated that compared to a year ago, financial professionals are increasingly in demand. Historically, financial institutions would generally raise salaries by 15% to retain talent, but now the increase is expected to rise to 20%-30%. The financial industry has already begun a talent competition, and this year the salary increase rate for financial talent in Hong Kong will accelerate further. In fact, the talent shortage in Hong Kong has been evident since the Hong Kong government's 2021 Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, where the quota for the scheme doubled from 2,000 to 4,000 per year in October 2021, and the number of talent categories increased from 11 to 13. Before the quota was relaxed, the number of approvals per period was between 440 and 470, but after the announcement of the increased quota in October, the last period saw the number of approved talents rise directly to 644. This shows the urgency of the Hong Kong government in attracting talent.

In the various industries of approved talents over the years, the financial and accounting services sector accounts for as much as 25%, followed by the information technology and telecommunications sector at 24%. These two industries together account for nearly half of the total quota for the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme.

With the outflow of financial talent from Hong Kong, the talent gap in the financial sector is widening. The difficulty for overseas and mainland financial professionals to obtain Hong Kong identity through the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme will significantly decrease.

Recently, many people have expressed interest in the Hong Kong Quality Migrant Admission Scheme. It is worth noting that for individuals with high scores who meet the talent needs of Hong Kong, the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme is undoubtedly the most cost-effective way. However, whether through the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme or other immigration plans, obtaining Hong Kong identity requires careful consideration.

As long as you want to obtain a Hong Kong permanent resident identity card, it is necessary to plan for the long term. Successfully applying is just the beginning; the planning for visa renewal and permanent residency is what needs to be emphasized in the process of immigrating to Hong Kong.

Parents in the financial sector who wish to apply for the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme to allow their children to enjoy educational advantages such as the Hong Kong-Macau-Taiwan Joint Examination should take advantage of the current favorable opportunity to arrange their applications as soon as possible.