Mainland Chinese students graduating from Hong Kong universities are weighing whether to stay in the city or return home due to living costs and language barriers.
Carol Chen, a 22-year-old mainland student set to graduate from Baptist University in July, calculated her options weeks before finishing her maths and statistics degree. She expected a starting salary of HK$20,000 as a junior data analyst, yet renting a room would consume half that amount. Returning to Shanghai would leave her concerned only with daily expenses while living with family. Chen said neither Cantonese nor English was her mother tongue, creating clear disadvantages in seminars and job interviews. “Although the companies did not list Cantonese as a requirement, you’ll still be rejected if you cannot speak it,” she said, adding she felt out of place in local society and was now more inclined to leave after graduation.