Abstract

This paper analyses the immigration policy effects on both Hong Kong labour market and macro economy and discusses the relationship between the new immigration policies and Chinese immigrants’ demographic characteristics. In 2006, 32.49 percent of Hong Kong’s population was Chinese immigrants, only 60.29 percent was natives. In total, almost 40 percent of Hong Kong’s population born outside Hong Kong. Hong Kong is moving towards a knowledge-based and high value-added economy supported by high-skilled workforce, its economic competitiveness hinges much on if it can attract talents to live and work in Hong Kong, thus Hong Kong government has proposed several new immigration schemes to attract mainland and overseas talents since 2003. Hong Kong census data show that immigration policy did affect Chinese immigrants’ demographic characteristics and these changes are positive for Hong Kong economic growth.