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ESTIMATES I HAVE QUOTED INCLUDE ALL MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY, FROM THE
ELDERLY TO THE VERY YOUNG. ONLY JUST OVER HALF OF THOSE EMIGRATING
ARE IN ULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT. OF THESE, LESS THAN HALF ARE INVOLVED IN PROFESSIONAL, ADMINISTRATIVE OR MANAGERIAL POSITIONS. IT IS THEREFORE NOT CORRECT TO ASSUME THAT 45,000 PROFESSIONALS WILL LEAVE HONG KONG THIS YEAR. THE TRUE FIGURE IS LESS THAN A QUARTER OF THAT.
115. ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IS THAT
ARE
OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMIGRATION
PROBABLY HIGHER NOW THAN THEY HAVE EVER BEEN. DESTINATION
COUNTRIES WITH A GLOBAL QUOTA SYSTEM HAVE INCREASED THEIR OVERALL NUMBER OF PLACES, THUS MAKING MORE ROOM FOR HONG KONG PEOPLE. IN ONE SIGNIFICANT CASE, WHERE THERE IS A COUNTRY BY COUNTRY QUOTA, HONG KONG'S SHARE HAS BEEN INCREASED. MOREOVER, THE POINTS SYSTEMS OPERATED BY SOME DESTINATION COUNTRIES GIVE STRONG PREFERENCE TO THE
BETTER EDUCATED AND IN HONG KONG WE HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
WHO ARE WELL EDUCATED.
116. NOW THAT WE HAVE A MORE ACCURATE IDEA OF THE NUMBERS INVOLVED, THE NEXT STEP IS TO ANALYSE THE PROBLEM AS CAREFULLY AND ACCURATELY
AS WE CAN AND THEN DECIDE WHAT WE CAN AND SHOULD DO ABOUT IT.
I SHALL BEGIN BY STRESSING WHAT WE WILL NOT DO. THERE IS NO QUESTION
OF INTERFERING IN ANY WAY WITH THE FREEDOM OF PEOPLE TO TRAVEL AND
SETTLE ELSEWHERE. THIS FREEDOM IS FUNDAMENTAL. ITS CONTINUATION AFTER
1997 IS ALSO GUARANTEED IN THE JOINT DECLARATION.
117. WE NEED TO OBTAIN AS MUCH PRACTICAL INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE
ABOUT THE QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE OF THOSE WHO ARE
LEAVING. WE CAN THEN MAKE SURE THAT OUR EDUCATION AND TRAINING
PROGRAMMES PROVIDE A SUFFICIENT FLOW OF QUALIFIED PEOPLE TO FILL THE
GAPS. AT PRESENT THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THE OVERALL NUMBER OF NEW
UNIVERSITY GRADUATES EACH YEAR EXCEEDS THE NUMBER LOST TO EMIGRATION.
WE MUST MAKE SURE THAT THIS CONTINUES TO BE THE CASE AND THAT THE NEW
GRADUATES HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS WE NEED, ALTHOUGH OF COURSE A FRESH GRADUATE GAINED DOES NOT EQUATE IMMEDIATELY WITH AN
EXPERIENCED PERSON LOST.
G
118. WE ALSO NEED TO CONSIDER WHAT CAN BE DONE TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR
PEOPLE TO RETURN. MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE MOVED ABROAD REMAIN STRONGLY
ATTACHED TO HONG KONG AND OUR UNIQUE WAY OF LIFE. NO WONDER.
OTHER PLACES SEEM TEPID BY COMPARISON MOVING AWAY FROM FAMILY AND
FRIENDS AND SETTLING IN AN ALIEN ENVIRONMENT IS NO EASY MATTER.
BUT ARE THERE ANY OBSTACLES TO THEIR COMING BACK WHICH WE CAN REMOVE?
FOR A START WE ARE LOOKING AT THE NEED FOR MORE INTERNATIONAL
SCHOOLS TO CATER SPECIFICALLY FOR CHILDREN WHO RETURN FROM OVERSEAS
?
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