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Enoch Yiu

Can’t find a dream jobs in Hong Kong? Shenzhen’s Qianhai economic zone may be the solution but you’d better be prepared to live without Facebook or Twitter.
On a visit to Qianhai last week to find out what is happening there, what caught the eye, besides some new business buildings and many construction sites, was the young Hongkongers working there, something that may mark the start of a new trend of white collar workers heading north.
Herman Leung Ka-hin and Freya Wang Tian-jiao, both from Hong Kong, are now working for Shenzhen Qianhai Financial Holdings, the financial arm of the Qianhai authority, which invests in financial companies and other projects.
Leung graduated from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology this year and made the decision to work on the mainland during his final year of study.
“I believe in the prospect of mainland China economic growth,” he said. “It would better for me to start my career in the mainland right from the beginning so as to allow me to establish a network and knowledge.”
He’s been working in Qianhai since August.
Unlike jobs in Hong Kong with well-established firms or the government, which came with clear career paths, Leung said his boss told him to expect uncertainty about his role over the next few years because the zone had new policies and new developments all the time.

	I worried about working with mainland colleagues as there might be cultural differences

	Freya Wang
Leung said that would give him more opportunities to try something new.
His colleague, Wang, worked for accounting firm PWC in Hong Kong for three years doing research about Qianhai and found it had a lot of opportunities.
“Before I came here, I worried about working with mainland colleagues as there might be cultural differences,” she said. “But after working here, I found that I had been over-worrying and I work with my mainland colleagues well.”
Leung and Wang said pay levels in Qianhai were similar to Hong Kong but the cost of living was much lower. They could also take advantage of the lower tax rate in Qianhai, 15 per cent compared to rates as high as 45 per cent in other mainland cities.
One thing they would like to see improve is the traffic. They live in apartments in northern Shenzhen provided by their employer and have to spend more than an hour travelling to or from Qianhai due to traffic jams. Staff apartments in the Qianhai area have yet to be put into use.
Finding lunch and entertainment close to work were also problems as the only food options were the staff canteen and a Pacific Coffee outlet, while planned cultural and entertainment facilities were still being built.
Hongkongers working in Qianhai also miss out on some popular social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter, which are banned on the mainland along with some overseas websites.
Qianhai is expected to have a working population of 30,000 next year after many Hong Kong banks and companies move in. Its first two major business complexes opened on Sunday.
The target is to expand that working population to 650,000 by 2020. That should provide a lot of opportunities for Hong Kong graduates and white collar workers willing to accept a more restricted online life.
 
enoch.yiu@scmp.com
 
 


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Herman Leung and Freya Wang found work in Qianhai. Photo: Dickson Lee

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Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


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White Collar

White Collar | Young Hongkongers head north to Qianhai for job opportunities