Billions of foreign dollars pour in annually to this tiny Chinese island packed with trading, financial, technology and telecom opportunities. Here are seven points to ponder in case you're planning to do business in Hong Kong.
Although a very small part of the Chinese geography, Hong Kong holds a major position in the country's financial infrastructure, bringing in billions of foreign dollars annually.
What's hot:
As might be expected in an international trading zone, financial services and banking are the two largest industries. There are also opportunities in the telecommunications, airlines, and transportation sectors. So it's not surprising that financial services' business process skills, business process automation, and networking are among the skills local and multinational companies find attractive.
Another desirable basic skill to have under your belt if you want to work in Hong Kong is .Net experience.
As in most countries that are just now getting on board high tech, top-level project managers are in need. Also, the financial services industry is looking for security specialists and systems analysts.
Multinational tech companies:
Hong Kong has more than 1,000 major multinationals with regional Asia offices. All of the major banks, including JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, and the World Bank of Scotland, are in Hong Kong.
Red tape:
Getting a work permit for Hong Kong isn't as easy as it used to be. Ex-pats will need a special skill or knowledge, even if they are being sponsored by a multinational. Of course, there is a way around this. A company might include fluency in English or another non-Chinese language in the list of special requirements.
