My Take | Expect coming waves of Hong Kong returnees from the UK
- New British survey shows few find suitable work. No income or low earnings will diminish their chances of success at securing permanent residency in a country increasingly hostile to immigration
BN(O) immigrants from Hong Kong are not doing well in Britain. That’s according to a new joint survey by British Future, a think tank, and the Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers.
Since the scheme was introduced in 2021, ostensibly to provide an exit route from “totalitarian” Hong Kong, between 123,000 and 160,000 have moved to the United Kingdom.
The former figure is the one cited in the latest survey, the latter is often found in UK government documents.
No matter. What the new study shows is that as an immigrant group, they are highly unemployed and underemployed. While six in 10 hold an undergraduate and/or postgraduate degree, only half are working, and usually in low-skilled jobs. Of those working, almost one in two said their job didn’t match their skills and experience (27 per cent) or only slightly related (20 per cent).
Most over the age of 45 with a professional qualification felt it was of no use in their job.
Language barriers and experience are cited as the biggest impediments to finding work. However, two-thirds rate their spoken and written English as good or very good. That may be explained by what psychologists call the Dunning-Kruger Effect: people tend to assume they are more competent or capable than they really are.
