Bridget arrived in Hong Kong last year with a prestigious degree and high hopes. But unlike some incarnations of the finance professional in the past who landed in the city to enjoy sky-high rents and bargain-basement taxes, Bridget comes from the Chinese mainland and speaks Beijing-accented Mandarin and American-accented English.
Hong Kong’s financial services market has evolved along with the city’s fortunes in the past two decades as the territory has developed as China’s door to the world. There is less demand for western professionals offering expertise and international perspective.
“Given the vast influx of dual-educated [in China and the US] highly motivated staff from China, the need to import solely from abroad has diminished,” said Jonathan Slone, former Asia chair of Jefferies.