Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents working on the mainland will no longer need to apply for job permits, according to a regulation released by the State Council on Friday, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported.
Previously, employment permits were required for mainland enterprises to recruit staffers from Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan.
Lee Wai King, president of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), claimed that the measure would encourage Hong Kong residents to work in mainland cities. Accordingly, mainland enterprises will also be less likely to refuse job applications from Hong Kong jobseekers on account of the complicated procedures.
A member of the Hong Kong legislative council identified as Elizabeth Quat believes that the relationship between residents of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will get closer due to the favorable policy. With the enhanced sense of national identity, Hong Kong residents will have much more space to develop if they can seize the opportunity of the Greater Bay Area, said Quat.
Earlier in March, the Qianhai Authority announced that Hong Kong and Macao residents would no longer need permits to work in Qianhai. It was widely expected that the measure would be spread to other regions, especially to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to Lou Wei Guo, president of Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA).
Wu Xueming, president of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Youth Association, pointed out that the process of applying for permits was previously quite inconvenient, as it took at least one week. He also stated that the exemption would help the youth of Hong Kong and Macao become closer with the mainland emotionally.
To provide convenience for Hong Kong and Macao residents, several policies involving study, employment, insurance and residence were released by the Central Government in August and December of last year.