Four Hong Kong residents will soon start working as civil servants in Shenzhen, after outperforming more than 400 applicants from Hong Kong and Macao in a civil service examination held by the city government in December, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported yesterday.

A total of 446 applicants from Hong Kong and Macao sat the examination, vying for five civil service openings in Shenzhen, which were created as part of the development plan of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In the end, four were qualified.

The position sectors involved administration, finance, urban planning, management of personnel concerning foreign affairs, and medical supervision. Hong Kong and Macao residents who graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree or above were eligible to apply.

It is the first time Shenzhen has ever reserved government jobs for residents from the two special administrative regions (SARs).

The examination included a written test, qualification review, physical exam and a face-to-face interview.

“More than 80 applicants, on average, competed for one post, which demonstrates the attractiveness of Shenzhen. People like me have more job opportunities available to them,” said Lai Yuhui from Hong Kong who has received a job.

Lai, who has working experiences in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, has landed a post in the Shenzhen Municipal Local Financial Regulatory Bureau.

“Many employees in Hong Kong companies are learning and practicing Mandarin. They have a strong interest in Chinese culture and hope to get involved in the mainland market as soon as possible. Now, Hong Kong and Macao youths have a chance to pursue their careers on the mainland and better understand our motherland’s development. So, we can better serve the country in the future,” Lai said.

Huang Keyi from Hong Kong, who graduated from a mainland university, has been employed by Fubao Subdistrict Office in Futian District. He said Shenzhen’s practice has given Hong Kong and Macao youths who aspire to contribute to the development of the Greater Bay Area more space for growth.

In a move to promote talent exchanges between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao while providing more job opportunities for young people from the two cities, Guangdong’s human resources authorities announced in July last year that permanent residents of the Hong Kong and Macao SARs, holding no foreign passports, will be permitted to apply for jobs at government institutions in nine cities in the province.

On May 10, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said Hong Kong is planning to sign an agreement with Shenzhen and Guangdong that will allow civil servants in the SAR to take temporary positions in mainland administrative institutions.

Last year, three Hong Kong residents passed a provincial civil servant enrollment examination for urgently needed posts. One of them is working in Dapeng New Area Technological Innovation Economic Service Bureau while the other two are employed by the Shenzhen Municipal Market Supervision and Regulation Bureau.