XN000022-1990-02-12 — Page 2

1

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1990

NATIONALITY PACKAGE WILL REDUCE BRAIN DRAIN

THE

OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS WHICH HAVE EXPERIENCED THE MOST SERIOUS DEPLETION THROUGH EMIGRATION AND ARE COSTLY ΤΟ REPLACE INCLUDE INFORMATION SCIENCE PROFESSIONALS, ACCOUNTANTS AND AUDITORS, ENGINEERS, LEGAL PROFESSIONALS AND MEDICAL DOCTORS.

A

AT

THE DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION, MR DONALD TSANG, SAID THIS SEMINAR ORGANISED BY THE HONG KONG INSTITUTE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT TODAY (MONDAY) WHEN HE TALKED ABOUT THE UNITED KINGDOM NATIONALITY PACKAGE.

POINTING OUT THAT NO LIMITED SCHEME COULD EVER HOPE TO PLEASE EVERYBODY, HE SAID THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WOULD TRY TO KEEP IN HONG KONG THOSE IT COULD LEAST AFFORD TO LOSE.

"IN SO FAR AS THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT IS ABLE TO INFLUENCE THE SHAPE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM SCHEME, OUR OBJECTIVE WILL BE TO TARGET THE FULL BRITISH PASSPORTS AT THOSE AREAS OF THE WORKFORCE WHICH IN RELATIVE TERMS HAVE BEEN MOST HARD HIT BY EMIGRATION, WHERE JOB SKILLS ONCE LOST ARE MOST COSTLY AND TIME CONSUMING TO REPLACE, AND WHERE POTENTIAL LOSSES ARE GREAT AND WOULD HAVE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. MR TSANG SAID.

"

HE SAID THIS WAS OF COURSE NO EASY TASK AND THERE WERE BOUND TO BE DIFFERENT VIEWS ABOUT WHETHER THE GOVERNMENT HAD STRUCK THE RIGHT BALANCE.

IN

"TAKING THOSE PEOPLE

THE 'PROFESSIONAL,

TECHNICAL, ADMINISTRATIVE AND MANAGERIAL' CATEGORY AS AN EXAMPLE, WE ARE LOSING ABOUT 10,000 OF THEM EVERY YEAR THROUGH EMIGRATION.

"SOME OF THEM ARE NEAR RETIREMENT AGE. SOME OTHERS ARE NOT PARTICULARLY SUCCESSFUL IN THEIR CAREERS IN HONG KONG. THEIR EMIGRATION INCURS RELATIVELY LESS COST TO THE COMMUNITY.

"HOWEVER, A PROPORTION OF THEM ARE YOUNG, BETTER EDUCATED AND WOULD REMAIN ECONOMICALLY ACTIVE THROUGH 1997. THEY ARE AN IMPORTANT ASSET TO HONG KONG, MR TSANG SAID,

"

"IF WE APPLY THE BULK OF THE 50,000 PLACES AVAILABLE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM NATIONALITY PACKAGE SELECTIVELY TO THE LATTER GROUP, I AM CONFIDENT THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO REDUCE BRAIN DRAIN IN PROFESSIONAL AND MANAGERIAL CLASS FOR THE SHORT AND MEDIUM TERM,

OUR

HE

ADDED.

THE

EXPANDING ON THE CONCEPT RELATIVE OF LOSSES, MR TSANG SAID GOVERNMENT HAD DEVELOPED THE ABILITY TO IDENTIFY THE OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS OF PERSONS EMIGRATING.

"THAT IS TO SAY, WE KNOW APPROXIMATELY HOW MANY PEOPLE LEAVING ARE FROM WHICH OCCUPATION CATEGORY. BUT ABSOLUTE NUMBERS ARE ONLY PART OF THE STORY," HE SAID.

/IF AN