How Hong Kong can turn 30,000 youth placements into lasting careers

How Hong Kong can turn 30,000 youth placements into lasting careers

The programme should be judged by more than placement numbers, with a focus on the supervised experience and lasting employment it creates

Kun Tian is a senior lecturer in marketing and analytics at Kent Business School, UK, and a fellow at the Taihe Institute.

Hong Kong will launch a 30,000-place youth employment and internship programme in the first quarter of 2027. Before applications open, the government should decide what it is buying: a temporary increase in headcount or a durable increase in professional capability.

The distinction matters because the entry-level labour market is already changing. According to an annual survey by Baptist University, the starting-pay advantage of bachelor’s degree holders over sub-degree graduates narrowed by 17 per cent, from HK$3,000 last year to HK$2,500 this year (US$380 to US$320).

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s latest policy address offers a response on an appropriate scale: 30,000 places over two years, including 10,000 subsidised full-time entry-level jobs. The Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) will coordinate 1,000 internships in financial services. The programme could become workforce infrastructure for an AI-intensive economy, provided every person taking up a subsidised place passes an apprenticeship test.