A boost in efforts required to attract talent to cooperation zone

The Chief Executive, Ho Iat Seng, said more effort is needed to attract a greater number of skilled professionals to the Guangdong-Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, while also ensuring its need for general labor is also met.

Ho made the remarks on Monday while on a visit to the zone for a Spring Festival meeting with officials from the cooperation zone’s Administrative Committee and its Executive Committee.

According to the CE, he believes there is a need to encourage dynamism in the team working in the cooperation zone, as well as boosting the efficiency of entrepreneurship.

A document issued by the zone last month noted that Macau residents who work full time in Hengqin are eligible for a subsidy of up to RMB12,000 for up to 36 months, and a one-time bonus of RMB50,000.

Macau residents with a bachelor’s degree can receive RMB7,000, those with a master’s degree can receive RMB9,000 and those with a doctoral degree, RMB12,000. 

The subsidy, according to the document, aims to “enhance the benefits for Macau residents” in the cooperation zone, as well as encourage employers to recruit Macau residents for employment. 

Ho said that Guangdong and Macau would collaborate to “create, in a pragmatic way, a greater number of innovative cooperation models and mechanisms, in order to speed advances and achieve planned goals for the zone.”

He mentioned that a total of 12 agreements on major projects covering integrated circuits, electronic information, biomedicine, traditional Chinese medicine, “big health” industry and modern financial service work had been signed in December 2021.

The CE also said that the zone should “dedicate further effort to advancing connections between the financial systems of Macau and Hengqin, and their civil and commercial administration systems,” adding that introduction of court services with “Macau characteristics to handle civil and commercial matters” was also necessary. LV