Thoughts on Impending Labor Shortage? Effect on Immigration Schemes?

I just read an article in the SCMP about the impending labor shortage in HK. According to the article:


"Hong Kong's workforce will be too small to power its economic growth by 2018 because of an ageing population, a government manpower study has concluded....About 14,000 jobs will have to be filled over the next six years by either foreign and mainland graduates or new immigrants."


The article elaborates:


"At the lowest education level, there will actually be a manpower surplus of 8,500 by 2018. But for the middle, secondary-school-educated level, we will experience a labour shortage of 22,000. For the top level, the shortage will be around 500 as Hong Kong moves further towards a knowledge-based economy."



Does anyone have any thoughts on the implications this shortage will have on immigration schemes? Perhaps new schemes to attract foreignors? Or maybe an easing on the selectivity of the Quality Migrant scheme? Will it become easier to companies to hire foreignors without having to prove so stringently that there's a local who can do the work?


I guess I'm wondering because I would really love to move to HK someday. Unfortunately, I don't have PR, and I'm only just now beginning to learn Mandarin, although I doubt I'll reach business proficiency any time soon. Thus, the odds are stacked against me unless immigration restrictions are loosened.


I'm currently in my first year in investment banking after graduating university last year, although I focus on US municipals, so the skillset is not as clearly transferrable as more market-facing roles, or even corporate finance. My next best chance to imigrate is probably to start a business, or the ~$1 million investment visa, haha.


Interested to hear yall's thoughts!

I don't think it will affect much on a personal level. If you can't get a job in HK now with your current education level you probably won't get one in the next 5-10 years either (unless you change something about your situation personally).


Don't learn mandarin thinking it will help you get a job here - it wont. Will definitely help if you want to work in China though. Learning Cantonese might help depending on what position you are actually looking at.