82 percent of Hong Kong-Hong Kong-macao businesses attractive for start-ups

This aerial photo taken on August 26, 2020 shows the city view of Shenzhen, south China's province of Guangdong. MAO SIQIAN XINHUA The outlook for business startups in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area remains bright for Hong Kong's young people, according to a recent online survey.

More than 84 percent of the respondents agreed that the mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area are very attractive for them to start their careers, according to the survey of 720 Hong Kong university students between March and December last year.

The Greater Bay Area includes Hong Kong, Macao and nine cities in Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhaoqing, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Huizhou, Zhuhai, Zhongshan and Jiangmen with a population of 86.17 million people.

According to the survey, culture, creativity, financial services, science, technology and innovation are the areas of interest for Hong Kong's young people.

More than 53 percent of respondents said they are looking forward to starting their careers in Shenzhen, while 19 percent chose Guangzhou as their first city to work in the Greater Bay Area.

The purpose of the survey was to examine the competitiveness of Hong Kong young people in the Bay Area job market, the challenges they face and possible solutions for those who want to make a career in the region.

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Seventy percent of respondents think young people in Hong Kong had not seen the development opportunities in the Greater Bay Area, while those who had previously visited it took a more positive view.