Policy Address 2026: Hong Kong set to provide 30,000 career opportunities to stimulate employment for youth

Hong Kong will subsidise 30,000 new employment opportunities through internships and full-time jobs for those with limited experience, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said at the 2026 Policy Address.

This initiative is under the new “30,000 Youth Employment and Internship Programme” and it aims to facilitate career opportunities among fresh graduates and university students over a period of two years starting from the first quarter of 2027.

Of these, 10,000 full-time jobs will target fresh graduates entering the workforce for the first time. 

The number of job vacancies open for university graduates fell to a five-year low last year, according to a May report by the Research Office of the Legislative Council Secretariat.

The report also attributed the rise in the unemployment rate of those aged between 15 to 24 to the high proportion of first-time job seekers who lack work experience.

Within the programme, 10,000 internships for STEM will be offered over two years.

Alizhan Ibrayev, 22, from Kazakhstan, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Hong Kong Baptist University this year, interned at “A Grade Energy Limited”, a company based in the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park. 

Ibrayev said that internship opportunities at the Science Park are very popular, especially for STEM students. 

Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation, set up by the Hong Kong government in Shatin in 2001, is home to more than 2,400 technology companies, many of which offer student internships.

Ibrayev mentioned that after his internship, he was offered a full-time position at the Park, but declined it to pursue his PhD at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He added that other graduates in his cohort are struggling to find part-time or full-time jobs.

Hong Kong’s entire labour market has seen a decline in employment, according to the Census and Statistics Department.

Tian Zhen, Research Assistant Professor of applied social science at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said in an email interview that Hong Kong’s existing talent policies have tended to focus more on attracting people than supporting their transition into longer-term careers and settlement.

“Academic reputation and financial incentives can bring people to Hong Kong, but meaningful careers, affordable living and social belonging are what encourage them to stay,” said Tian.

Rodrigo Meza Alonso from Mexico, a business student at Hong Kong Baptist University, said, “Hong Kong is the hub for finance. It’s one of the best growing markets in the world.”

Alonso aims to get his Hong Kong permanent residency and continue working in Hong Kong after graduation. “It takes seven years of living in Hong Kong to get that, and after that, I want to do my master’s in Hong Kong, paying as a local,” he said. 

Albert Chau, Vice-President of Hong Kong Baptist University said that Hong Kong does a lot to attract, recruit and retain talent, notably through higher education.

“The government is very forthcoming, in going overseas, promoting Hong Kong as a preferred destination of work and living,” said Chau. “The universities in Hong Kong also enjoy a very good reputation worldwide, so that helps a lot,” he added.

“The government is also providing a lot of assistance in terms of, say, visa handling,” he added.

Jade Luk Yu, a business student from Hong Kong, said “the ‘Youth Employment Internship Programme’ won’t be beneficial for all students.”
“The number of fresh graduates per year is still much higher than the number of entry-level jobs in the market,” she added.

Hong Kong recorded an unemployment rate of 3.7%, according to the Census and Statistics Department.