The reason why universities in Hong Kong are favored by students and parents from mainland China is that students can use this opportunity to work in Hong Kong or use Hong Kong as a springboard to further their studies or work in other countries. The quality of education in Hong Kong is also renowned worldwide, and the degrees are highly recognized internationally, leading to good employment prospects after graduation. In recent years, an increasing number of mainland students have chosen to immigrate to Hong Kong or study in Hong Kong, hoping to stay in Hong Kong after graduating from local universities or have opportunities to work in large enterprises in Europe and America.
According to data from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, among the mainland undergraduate graduates, 60% are employed in Hong Kong, 4% are employed in mainland China, 23% are pursuing further studies in Hong Kong, and 13% are studying abroad.
The representative of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University stated that their undergraduate graduates are rated as the most practical by the employers surveyed, and their application-oriented courses particularly meet the needs of the business community and society. According to the information provided by the university, the employment rate is 87.5%, with 12.5% continuing their studies, and the average starting salary for graduates is HKD 12,791.
Last year, The Education University of Hong Kong became the institution with the highest initial employment rate and average starting salary for graduates in Hong Kong. The representative stated that this is related to the fact that it is the only higher education institution among the eight public universities in Hong Kong that focuses on teacher education. "Our salary increase may not be as high as other schools, but our average starting salary is the highest and relatively stable." The representative reminded that all students graduating from this university will receive a recognized registered teacher qualification in Hong Kong, meaning they do not need to take additional teaching courses to become qualified teachers. It is worth noting that this qualification is currently not recognized in mainland China.
A survey conducted by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2008 showed that the business sector remains the most popular field for graduates, accounting for about 76.5%, followed by manufacturing and industry, education, and social services.
The City University of Hong Kong claims that in recent years, 60% of its mainland students continued to pursue master's or doctoral degrees after graduation, about 37% worked in Hong Kong, and 3% returned to mainland China. A representative from Hong Kong Baptist University mentioned that based on the mainland students enrolled in previous years, approximately 30% of undergraduates find jobs in Hong Kong each year, 40% pursue graduate studies in Hong Kong, about 15% study abroad, and around 15% return to mainland China for employment. Due to the rapid development in places like Beijing and Shanghai, in the last couple of years, the university has actively requested graduates to return to mainland China for work, but the percentage has not exceeded 20%.
