Tech-savvy and keen to work, young people already have the tech fluency Hong Kong firms lack in integrating AI into corporate operations
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenJohn C. TsangJohn C. Tsang, a former financial secretary in the Hong Kong SAR government, is the founder of the non-profit initiative Esperanza. Published: 5:49am, 3 Jul 2026Updated: 5:51am, 3 Jul 2026Hong Kong is trapped in a structural economic paradox that threatens both its long-term competitiveness and social stability. Organisations are paralysed by the urgent need for artificial intelligence (AI) transformation, complaining day in and day out that they lack technological talent.
This trend has triggered an existential threat to our long-term talent pipeline. In the IDC study, 74 per cent of Hong Kong companies say shrinking entry-level positions have made it increasingly difficult to hire and train future leaders. But whose fault is that?
Organisations can only achieve real productivity gains when AI is deeply integrated into their daily workflows. But they are stuck because senior executives frequently lack the basic tech fluency required to safely integrate AI into daily corporate operations. Instead of adapting, management relies on a legacy hiring mindset that blindly filters out fresh graduates for lacking “relevant prior experience”.
