Hong Kong General Employment Policy 2026: Approval Data by Nationality and Sector
Hong Kong approved 31,278 employment cases under the General Employment Policy (GEP) in 2025 and a further 13,640 in January–June 2026, according to the Hong Kong Immigration Department's official "Facts and Statistics — Visas" page, consulted in October 2026. South Korea was the largest single named nationality in both periods, with 5,516 approvals in 2025 and 2,226 in the first half of 2026, followed by Japan (3,689 and 1,974), the United Kingdom (2,472 and 1,007) and the United States (2,121 and 968). By sector, Recreation and Sports was the largest named category in 2025 with 4,517 approvals, ahead of Financial Services with 2,343 — and close to half of all approvals, 14,850 in 2025, carried monthly remuneration below HK$20,000. For internationally mobile families and their advisers, the practical reading is that GEP is a broad employer-driven channel, not a lane reserved for senior executives on expatriate packages.
Two limits apply before any of the numbers below are used. The 2026 column covers six months only, so it cannot be treated as an annual figure. And the department publishes each breakdown — nationality, sector, pay and qualification — as a separate table, so the dimensions cannot be multiplied together.
Which nationalities account for the most GEP approvals?
| Region | 2025 | Jan–Jun 2026 | 2026 H1 as share of 2025 total |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 5,516 | 2,226 | 40.4% |
| Japan | 3,689 | 1,974 | 53.5% |
| United Kingdom | 2,472 | 1,007 | 40.7% |
| U.S.A. | 2,121 | 968 | 45.6% |
| India | 1,518 | 517 | 34.1% |
| France | 1,187 | 589 | 49.6% |
| Philippines | 934 | 299 | 32.0% |
| Australia | 883 | 413 | 46.8% |
| Canada | 645 | 297 | 46.0% |
| Others | 12,313 | 5,350 | 43.5% |
| Total | 31,278 | 13,640 | 43.6% |
The largest line in the table is not a country at all: "Others" accounted for 12,313 approvals in 2025, or roughly 39% of the total. The named nationalities therefore describe the visible top of a long tail rather than the whole distribution, and any claim about "the typical GEP national" has to be read as a statement about the top nine.
Within that visible group, the pattern is East-Asia-weighted. South Korea and Japan together supplied 9,205 approvals in 2025, about 29% of all cases, more than any other pair of named nationalities in the same year. English-speaking Western nationalities remain substantial but individually smaller: the UK at 7.9% of 2025 approvals, the US at 6.8%, Australia at 2.8% and Canada at 2.1%.
Which sectors actually get sponsored?
| Industry/sector | 2025 | Jan–Jun 2026 | 2026 H1 as share of 2025 total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recreation and Sports | 4,517 | 2,433 | 53.9% |
| Arts/Culture | 3,364 | 507 | 15.1% |
| Academic Research and Education | 2,670 | 1,206 | 45.2% |
| Financial Services | 2,343 | 1,401 | 59.8% |
| Commerce and Trade | 1,499 | 980 | 65.4% |
| Engineering and Construction | 1,180 | 383 | 32.5% |
| Information Technology | 416 | 205 | 49.3% |
| Legal Services | 125 | 76 | 60.8% |
| Others | 15,164 | 6,449 | 42.5% |
| Total | 31,278 | 13,640 | 43.6% |
The familiar image of Hong Kong sponsored work as a financial-services posting covers only part of the picture. Financial Services accounted for 2,343 approvals in 2025, about 7.5% of the total, while Recreation and Sports (4,517) and Arts/Culture (3,364) together reached 7,881, or roughly a quarter. Legal Services was marginal at 125 approvals, and Information Technology at 416 — a small share of GEP, but still larger than the 161 approvals recorded in 2025 under the dedicated Technology Talent Admission Scheme.
The "Others" sector line is even larger than the "Others" nationality line: 15,164 approvals in 2025, close to half the total. The named sectors should therefore be read as a floor for each category, not as its confirmed size.
What does the pay split say about the kind of job?
| Monthly remuneration (HK$) | 2025 | Share of 2025 total | Jan–Jun 2026 | Share of H1 2026 total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Below 20,000 | 14,850 | 47.5% | 6,798 | 49.8% |
| 20,000 – 39,999 | 8,211 | 26.3% | 2,755 | 20.2% |
| 40,000 – 79,999 | 4,787 | 15.3% | 2,202 | 16.1% |
| 80,000 or above | 3,430 | 11.0% | 1,885 | 13.8% |
| Total | 31,278 | 100% | 13,640 | 100% |
The distribution is barbell-shaped rather than top-heavy. The single largest band in both periods is the lowest one: 14,850 approvals, or 47.5% of the 2025 total, sat below HK$20,000 a month, rising to 49.8% in the first half of 2026. At the other end, the HK$80,000-or-above band accounted for 3,430 approvals in 2025 (11.0%) and 1,885 in the first half of 2026 (13.8%).
For a high-net-worth planner, the senior end is the relevant reference point: roughly one in nine GEP approvals in 2025 fell into the top pay band, and the band grew faster than the scheme overall in early 2026, reaching 55% of its full-year 2025 count in six months against 43.6% for the scheme as a whole. The 20,000–39,999 band moved the other way, reaching only 34% of its 2025 total.
Can you combine nationality with sector or salary?
No. The published tables are separate marginal distributions, so there is no cross-tabulation behind them. Suppose a planner wants to know how many South Korean nationals were approved in Financial Services at HK$80,000 or above — the answer cannot be derived from these figures, because the department does not publish that cell, and any estimate produced by multiplying shares would be a guess presented as data.
What the tables do support is a comparison of shapes. Nationality shares can be compared with nationality shares, sector shares with sector shares, pay shares with pay shares. They can also be compared across schemes, which is where the more decision-relevant contrast sits.
What do the qualification figures add?
| Academic qualification | 2025 | Share of 2025 total | Jan–Jun 2026 | Share of H1 2026 total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctorate | 2,072 | 6.6% | 850 | 6.2% |
| Master's Degree | 7,377 | 23.6% | 3,500 | 25.7% |
| Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent | 19,882 | 63.6% | 8,691 | 63.7% |
| Other Academic Qualifications | 1,947 | 6.2% | 599 | 4.4% |
| Total | 31,278 | 100% | 13,640 | 100% |
A bachelor's degree or equivalent was the qualification recorded for 19,882 approvals in 2025, about 64% of the total, with master's degrees at 23.6% and doctorates at 6.6%. The mix was almost identical in the first half of 2026. Read alongside the pay table, this supports the same conclusion as the sector split: GEP's approved population is dominated by degree-holders in ordinary sponsored roles, not exclusively by senior specialists.
How does GEP sit next to Hong Kong's other talent routes?
| Scheme | Approved 2025 | Approved Jan–Jun 2026 | What the published tables measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Employment Policy (GEP) | 31,278 | 13,640 | Industry, pay and qualification of the job being taken up |
| Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals | 26,714 | 13,654 | Industry, pay and qualification of the job being taken up |
| Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates | 27,630 | 7,480 | Region and qualification |
| Quality Migrant Admission Scheme | 7,101 | 1,940 | Industry, region and qualification of successful cases passing the selection exercise |
| Top Talent Pass Scheme | 31,508 | 14,847 | Region; income in the preceding year (Category A only: 10,198 in 2025, 5,937 in Jan–Jun 2026); industry of previous occupation |
The structural difference matters more than the totals. The GEP and Mainland Talents tables classify people by the job they are entering, which ties those numbers to employer demand in Hong Kong. The Top Talent Pass tables classify people by income earned in the preceding year and by the industry of their previous occupation — the published Category A income breakdown starts at HK$2.5 million and runs to HK$10 million or above — which is a profile of individual track records rather than of a specific posting.
The columns are also not strictly like-for-like. The Quality Migrant Admission Scheme figures are stated on the page as the number of successful cases passing the selection exercise, not as final visas issued, and the Top Talent Pass income table covers Category A applicants only, because Categories B and C are not required to submit income information for the preceding year. Comparisons across schemes should stay at the level of scale and structure, not approval probability.
What should a sponsor-side planner take from the first half of 2026?
- Overall pace. 13,640 approvals in six months equals about 44% of the 31,278 recorded for the whole of 2025. The published tables give no seasonal breakdown, so this should not be read as a forecast.
- Pay mix tilting upward. The HK$80,000-or-above band reached 55% of its 2025 full-year count, while the 20,000–39,999 band reached 34%, and the below-20,000 band remained the largest single band at 6,798 approvals.
- Sector churn. Arts/Culture fell to 507 approvals, only 15% of its 2025 total, and Engineering and Construction reached 32%. Financial Services (60%) and Commerce and Trade (65%) ran well ahead of the scheme average.
- Nationality shifts. Japan (53.5% of its 2025 total) and France (49.6%) ran ahead of the 43.6% scheme average; South Korea (40.4%) and the Philippines (32.0%) ran behind it.
These are counts of past approvals, and they describe outcomes rather than eligibility. This article is general reference only and is not personalised professional advice; it should not be used to predict an individual outcome, and the department may revise its published statistics, so the current official release remains the controlling version for any planning decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many GEP applications were approved in 2025 and in early 2026?
The Hong Kong Immigration Department's official "Facts and Statistics — Visas" page records 31,278 approvals under the General Employment Policy for 2025 and 13,640 for January–June 2026. The 2026 figure covers six months only and is not an annual total. The page consulted in October 2026 does not publish refusal or application volumes, so no approval rate can be calculated from it.
Which nationality received the most GEP approvals?
South Korea, with 5,516 approvals in 2025 and 2,226 in January–June 2026. Japan was second with 3,689 and 1,974, followed by the United Kingdom with 2,472 and 1,007 and the United States with 2,121 and 968. The single largest line, however, is "Others" at 12,313 approvals in 2025, roughly 39% of the total, so the named countries cover only part of the distribution.
Is the General Employment Policy only for high earners?
No. Nearly half of approvals — 14,850 in 2025, or 47.5% — recorded monthly remuneration below HK$20,000, and that share rose to 49.8% in January–June 2026. The HK$80,000-or-above band accounted for 11.0% of 2025 approvals and 13.8% of the first-half 2026 approvals, so senior packages are a distinct but minority segment.
Which sectors dominate GEP approvals?
Recreation and Sports (4,517 in 2025) and Arts/Culture (3,364) were the largest named sectors, together about a quarter of all approvals, ahead of Academic Research and Education (2,670) and Financial Services (2,343). Legal Services was the smallest named sector at 125. The unclassified "Others" category was larger than any named sector at 15,164 approvals, close to half the total.
Can I find out how many approvals went to my nationality in my industry?
Not from this publication. The department releases each breakdown separately — by region, by industry, by monthly remuneration and by qualification — with no cross-tabulation between them. Any figure that combines two dimensions would have to be estimated rather than read, and the department's published tables do not support that.
Do the published figures show approval or refusal rates?
No. The tables count successful cases only, and the page does not publish application volumes, refusal numbers, processing times or fees. Figures for the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme are additionally noted as successful cases passing the selection exercise rather than final grants, so volumes across schemes are not directly comparable as approval outcomes.
How does GEP volume compare with the Top Talent Pass Scheme?
GEP recorded 31,278 approvals in 2025 against 31,508 for the Top Talent Pass Scheme, with 13,640 and 14,847 respectively in January–June 2026. The two are structurally different: GEP tables classify people by the Hong Kong job being taken up, while the Top Talent Pass tables classify them by income earned in the preceding year and by the industry of their previous occupation.
Do the 2026 figures cover the full year?
No. The most recent column on the department's page covers January to June 2026, and the most recent complete year available there is 2025. Comparisons against 2025 therefore use a six-month figure against a twelve-month one, with no seasonal adjustment available in the published data.