Will young Hongkongers move to China’s Greater Bay Area? Pandemic derails plans to attract fresh graduates to jobs in Guangdong
- Strict border measures put off young Hongkongers unwilling to spend extended periods in mainland China
- Employers say subsidy scheme for Hong Kong graduates working in Greater Bay Area needs to be tweaked
Hong Kong start-up founder Sky Tang Man-chun previously had five fresh graduates willing to work at his branch office in Dongguan, Guangdong province, but then the Covid-19 pandemic got in the way.
Most of his young hires had never been to mainland China. But if he had chosen to send them, despite the stringent pandemic restrictions in place, they would have been on their own while the company’s senior managers remained in Hong Kong.
Under the scheme, employers receive HK$10,000 (US$1,281) per month for every young employee sent to work across the border for at least six months of on-the-job training out of an 18-month contract.
“It was never about whether the young people were willing to undergo 14 days of quarantine in mainland hotels. They were all keen on new challenges,” said Tang, 32, founder and director of ConceptFound Group.
