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it may increase further. But there are limits to this,
limits imposed by the immigration quotas of countries like
the U.S.A.
Clearly, I do not welcome the fact of these
departures. Equally clearly the Hong Kong Government will
not attempt to stop the outflow. We value our freedoms.
One of these is the freedom to come and go from Hong Kong
at will. What we must do instead is to make sure that no
difficulties are placed in the way of those who want to
come back after they have secured their insurance. We must
also, in cooperation with the private sector, find ways of
managing the problem.
The description "brain drain" is all too apt. Not
all who go are graduates, but certainly a disproportionate
number are young professional families. We are therefore
looking for ways to compensate. Just last week I announced
that we will more than double the number of first degree
places, from 7% to 18% of the relevant age group between
now and 1995. There will be a similar increase in the
number or places in technical training centres. We will
also look to our own immigration policies. These must be
more flexible, so that firms which fail to find suitably
qualified staff in Hong Kong, will be able to bring them in
from overseas. The problem is a management problem.
However difficult, it is also a manageable one.