Malaysia is globally recognized as a multicultural nation where various races and ethnicities coexist harmoniously. Consequently, most Malaysians are multilingual, often switching between Bahasa Melayu, Mandarin, Tamil, English, and other languages in their daily lives.

Hong Kong Plans to Recruit More Malaysian Professionals

Recently, Hong Kong's Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Chris Sun, praised Malaysians for their multilingual abilities. Impressed by their language skills, the Hong Kong government plans to recruit more professional workers from Malaysia to work in the Special Administrative Region of China.

According to the Hong Kong-based publication RTHK, Sun spoke highly of Malaysians, stating, "They are fluent in English, and many also speak fluent Cantonese and Mandarin. There’s a good talent pool, and I think it’s worth it for us to give it a try." He noted that during his visits to Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries, many locals expressed eagerness to work in Hong Kong.

The Straits Times reported that the Hong Kong government considers Malaysia a key potential source of talent, as Malaysians' multilingual skills facilitate integration into the local community and help Hong Kong connect with Southeast Asian markets.

Hong Kong Eases Path for Malaysians to Work in the City

To attract more talent, Hong Kong introduced the Top Talent Pass Scheme in December 2022. This scheme offers a two-year visa to applicants who earned at least HKD 2.5 million (~RM 1.51 million) in the past year or are graduates from nearly 200 of the world’s top universities.

According to the Malaysian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and Macau, some Malaysians have already benefited from this scheme, demonstrating the Special Administrative Region’s commitment to diversifying its workforce. The Chamber also noted that fostering greater cultural sensitivity and ensuring access to Halal goods would help attract more Malaysian talent, including Muslims, to Hong Kong.

However, potential Malaysian workers should be aware that Hong Kong was recently ranked the most expensive city in the world to live in by the global consulting firm Mercer.