Career Advice Job Market Trend Report

Exporting city’s expertise

Engineering

The resilience of Asia-Pacific economies amid the gloom in the West means that fixed-asset investments such as public works and private developments will continue to fuel demand for engineers.

Hong Kong, a veteran engineering leader, has long “exported” its expertise to the rest of Asia, covering design, construction, project management and other fields.

The largest market for Hong Kong’s engineering-services exports is mainland China. Hi-tech equipment and engineering services are in great demand on the mainland. Other countries in Asia, such as South Korea and Singapore, are also active in developing opportunities and trying to capture a share of the Chinese market.

Although facing keen competition from their counterparts in other Asian markets, local engineers still benefit greatly from Hong Kong’s extensive investment activities in mainland China.

The Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) between the city and China has also benefited local engineers. For example, under CEPA’s Supplement V provision, local engineering professionals who have passed China’s supervision engineer qualification can register and practise in Guangdong province, even if they are not registered practitioners in Hong Kong.