HONG KONG -- More than half of incoming talents who came to Hong Kong through the city's Top Talent Pass Scheme have been in employment, Chris Sun, secretary for labor and welfare of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, said on Wednesday.

As of the end of December last year, the scheme, which was launched at the end of 2022, received over 116,000 applications and approved nearly 92,000. Of these, more than 75,000 talents arrived in Hong Kong with their families, Sun said, adding that the talents in employment mainly took up managerial and professional jobs with median monthly employment earnings of about HK$50,000.

Sun said that the scheme entrants and their spouses contributed directly to Hong Kong's economy. More than half of them are aged under 40, with many bringing their young children to settle in Hong Kong. This adds new impetus to the local labor force and brings about a positive impact on Hong Kong's demographic structure.