At a policy briefing on September 17 regarding Hong Kong's first five-year development plan and the 2026 Policy Address, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun announced a collaborative initiative with six major chambers of commerce to create 10,000 extra positions over two years, beyond existing corporate recruitment plans. The government will cover one-third of the salaries for hired young people, with a monthly subsidy cap of HK$6,000 per position for a maximum period of six months, and the employment contracts are required to last at least six months.

The scheme is open to young permanent residents of Hong Kong under the age of 29, with no educational prerequisites, although companies may set academic requirements based on specific job needs. Sun noted that the government's latest medium-term manpower projections indicate an overall labour shortage of approximately 130,000 by 2028, a reduction from the 180,000 estimated two years ago. Without policy interventions related to talent and manpower, the shortfall could potentially reach 300,000 by 2028.

Sun attributed the changing scale of the manpower gap primarily to shifts in economic structure, the effectiveness of talent attraction policies, and the impact of rapid advancements in artificial intelligence over the past one to two years on labour demand. The government will continue to update its talent list and place greater emphasis on key development areas such as AI. A new 18-month AI upskilling programme is slated for launch in the first half of 2027, aiming to reach at least 40,000 employees. Following legislative amendments, the Employees Retraining Board will be elevated to the Hong Kong Institute of Skills Enhancement, with related initiatives designed to help workers adapt to workplace transformations driven by AI.

Education and talent cultivation constitute another pillar of the five-year plan. Secretary for Education Christine Choi, speaking at the same briefing, revealed that three campus sites in the Hung Shui Kiu university town will be made available for eligible institutions, covering approximately 16.5 hectares, 5.3 hectares, and 4.4 hectares respectively, totalling around 26.2 hectares. The first plot, situated west of the planned Hung Shui Kiu station on the Tuen Ma Line, offers a gross floor area of roughly 826,000 square metres. The second plot, located north of the station, provides about 244,000 square metres, while the third, near the modern logistics park, encompasses approximately 218,500 square metres, culminating in a combined gross floor area of about 1.29 million square metres.

The government expects to announce approved institutions by early 2027 at the earliest. Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan indicated that no specific cap has been set on the number of institutions, with evaluation criteria focusing on whether proposals can enhance Hong Kong's appeal as an international education hub and promote synergies across education, technology, talent, and industry. A loan facility of HK$10 billion will be extended to support the university town's construction. According to the five-year plan, the Northern Metropolis will feature three university towns in San Tin, Hung Shui Kiu, and Ta Kwu Ling. Chief Executive John Lee previously stated that the Northern Metropolis will develop towards university towns, innovation and technology, and industrial growth, with the three campus areas expanding to roughly 300 hectares and an overall university town footprint exceeding 1,000 hectares.

Choi emphasized that institutions entering the Hung Shui Kiu university town must drive complementary regional advantages and coordinated development through curriculum design, talent cultivation, industry-academia-research collaboration, and facility sharing. Institutional growth should concentrate on cutting-edge interdisciplinary research, address talent demands of priority industries, and strengthen partnerships with leading mainland and overseas universities as well as major enterprises. The Education Bureau will also integrate AI into various learning domains and interdisciplinary teaching to boost students' AI literacy, while launching a free digital education resource platform featuring large language models. Additionally, the bureau will enhance teacher professional development and foster a collaborative digital education ecosystem involving schools, society, and relevant industries.