Singapore, Hong Kong can work together to become 'shining cities', fill 'special niches': Manpower Minister Tan See Leng

Singapore and Hong Kong can leverage their unique strengths to attract fresh talent and should "work closely together rather than compete" for new faces, according to Tan See Leng.

The city state's minister for manpower said he does not "necessarily subscribe" to the characterisation that the two financial hubs are in competition with one another for global talent, but sees "innate advantages" and a "special niche" that are unique to each.

"I think both of us can actually be shining cities ... that we work closely together rather than compete," he said, adding that Hong Kong's strengths lie in the Greater Bay Area, which is widely seen as among China's most attractive investment destinations. Though many countries are laying out plans to court new talent, Tan said: "Growth is not a zero-sum game. In fact, healthy competition makes us stronger and creates more vibrant and dynamic cities."

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Tan was speaking at the Hong Kong-Asean Summit 2023, which focuses on trade and investment issues between the city and Southeast Asian countries. Attendees include business leaders, policymakers and entrepreneurs from Hong Kong, mainland China and the wider region.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and Malaysia's Deputy Minister of Investment Trade and Industry Liew Chin Tong were among the other keynote speakers at the summit.

Tan's keynote speech on harnessing talent comes at a time when competition for the best workers in key industries is intensifying, and as both Singapore and Hong Kong have unveiled similar visa schemes to court global talent.

But the Singapore minister went to great lengths to stress that both financial hubs have different strengths.

"Hong Kong is in a prime position to be a springboard for talent growth, with its strong links to the Chinese hinterland and its central location in the Greater Bay Area, which has a gross domestic product of about US$2 trillion. And likewise, Singapore can be a springboard for talent growth into Southeast Asia," Tan said in his opening remarks.

Hong Kong's "aspirations" for cities like Macau, Shenzhen and Guangzhou - all part of Beijing's ambitious Greater Bay Area plan to create a thriving global technology and economic centre around the Pearl River Delta - could also help draw global talent, Tan said.

Responding to what a collaboration between the two cities could look like, Tan said that Hong Kong and Singapore have "multiple opportunities to exchange in terms of trade" and currently have frameworks for collaboration and an understanding of how each other operate.

"Just at the civil-service level, there are regular exchanges between civil servants from Hong Kong and also likewise, our Public Service Division," he said, noting that he has hosted Chief Executive Lee three times in the past year alone. He also referred to the opening of Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong in 2017 by IHH Healthcare while the private healthcare group was under his leadership.

Tan went on to stress the city state's openness, in the wake of a recent outcry over greater competition for jobs between locals and foreigners. "We are open. We are open and we are very welcoming to talent globally to come into Singapore."

He said it was important that selection processes for foreign talent remain "transparent, predictable and clear", and added that there are frameworks in place to assess how these foreign workers can complement the local workforce.

In addition, Singapore's government invests "significantly" in its local workforce, he said, in terms of providing training opportunities and programmes to help with career switches.

Tan said it was "combination of all these things" that will ensure "a longer term, sustainable, foreseeable future [for] our local talent" to complement foreign expertise and bring added value to the city state's workforce.

He ended his opening remarks with a few words in Cantonese. "I hope that Singapore and Hong Kong will maintain our interconnectedness and work together to bring Asia to new heights."

The Hong Kong-Asean Summit 2023 is organised by the South China Morning Post in partnership with the Hong Kong-Asean Foundation and the Our Hong Kong Foundation.

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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