Following is a question by the Hon Chan Chun-ying and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (October 22):
 
Question:
 
     There are views that although Hong Kong has leapt to the fourth place globally in the latest World Talent Ranking 2025 published by the International Institute for Management Development, it still has structural shortcomings in encouraging talent to stay and develop in Hong Kong. In particular, Hong Kong's high cost of living has resulted in poor performance in the "cost of living" indicator, with the city ranking 66th globally. Therefore, the Government should introduce corresponding long-term measures to attract and retain talent. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) in order to alleviate housing cost pressures, whether the Government will consider reserving land in new development areas such as the Northern Metropolis and, by drawing on overseas experience, constructing residential apartments for talent under the "build-‍to-‍rent" model (i.e. a model where housing is specifically constructed for rental purposes) to provide stable and affordable housing options for incoming talent, so as to increase the incentive for their long-term settlement in Hong Kong, thereby promoting local economic development; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(2) as there are views pointing out that cultivating multilingual abilities is crucial to enhancing the international competitiveness of local talent, whether the Government will consider establishing a Foreign Language Scholarship Scheme to subsidise local students or young people planning for long-term development in Hong Kong to attend language courses overseas, so as to nurture local talent with cross-cultural literacy and professional foreign language proficiency; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:
 
President,
 
     Our reply to the Member's questions, in consultation with the Development Bureau (DEVB) and the Education Bureau, is as follows:

(1) The Northern Metropolis (NM) is a strategic development area in Hong Kong. With an area and planned population accounting for around one-third of Hong Kong's totals, the land for different industries in the NM would drive the development of innovation and technology and other industries. With the support of relevant policy bureaux, the DEVB has allowed planning flexibility for the construction of talent accommodation on industry land in some New Development Areas (such as San Tin Technopole and the Lau Fau Shan area) in the NM, with a view to supporting the relevant industry development. 

(2) The Government has been making significant investment in education to provide diversified learning opportunities for students. Learning foreign languages can help students understand multiculturalism and strengthen their connections with different parts of the world, thereby enhancing their competitiveness in pursuing employment or further studies, or starting their own businesses in the future. The Government has consistently encouraged schools and institutions to provide students with opportunities to learn foreign languages, and enable students, through various avenues such as student exchange programmes and experiential learning activities, to gain exposure to the cultures of more places, broaden their horizons, seize Hong Kong's unique advantages, and be better prepared for their future development. Over the years, the Government has been collaborating with the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research, other advisory bodies and stakeholders to enable Hong Kong people, particularly students and working adults, to become biliterate and trilingual, through sponsoring and implementing various measures using the Language Fund. The Government will continue to strive to nurture talents who are biliterate and trilingual, and proficient in other languages. However, there is currently no plan to introduce the Foreign Language Scholarship Scheme as proposed in the question.

Ends/Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Issued at HKT 12:20

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