Why Hong Kong’s strategic advantages attract global talent

Hong Kong's strategic advantages have attracted global talent, making it a world-class talent hub. The city's ability to attract and retain high-calibre professionals plays a significant role in the economic and policy development of governments around the world. In 2025, Hong Kong was ranked fourth globally and first in Asia in the International Institute for Management Development's World Talent Ranking.

This success is attributed to the city's efforts in establishing itself as a world-class talent hub, focusing on investment and development in education, health, appeal through cost of living and quality of life, and readiness by producing suitable employees with right skill sets.

Since 2022, Hong Kong has introduced several admission measures to attract professionals from around the world, leading to over 300,000 global talent moving to the city by the end of June 2025. The Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS), introduced in December 2022, has received over 171,000 applications, with more than 138,000 approved. Hong Kong Talent Engage, established in 2023, promotes the city's advantages and talent admission schemes worldwide while helping incoming talent settle and integrate into life in Hong Kong.

The strategic advantages attracted Robert Lay and Emma Li, a couple from New Zealand, to relocate to Hong Kong with their young children in mid-2023. They chose Hong Kong due to its good international education system and proximity to mainland China. Lay, born in Cambodia, and Li, originally from southern China, were impressed by the city's flexible visa policy, allowing them to settle down first and then look for work.

Lay now works as the chief financial officer at the Chinese multinational enterprise Kasen Group, while Li is a director of asset management at Giga Hong Kong. Their children attend one of the city's international schools, benefiting from a rich Chinese culture and a curriculum that promotes creativity and critical thinking. Despite the challenges of adapting to a smaller living space and finding a domestic helper, the family values the benefits offered by their new home, including immediate access to a compact, well-connected region with direct links to cities across mainland China and Asia.