The role of human capital, race, gender, and culture on immigrant entrepreneurship in Hong Kong

Abstract

Our research is among the first to explore the recent sociodemographic development of immigrant entrepreneurs in Hong Kong, which reflects the city’s underlying socioeconomic dynamics that are increasingly conducive for foreign investments. Using pooled Hong Kong census data from 2001 to 2016 and relying on linear probability models with a synthetic cohort design, we compared the probabilities of attaining entrepreneurship among individuals with different demographic characteristics, including gender, age, education attainment, ethnicity, length of stay in Hong Kong, etc. Our preliminary results are in line with cultural, human capital, and intersectionality theory—longer length of stay in the destination, higher educational attainment, greater knowledge of the local language, and similarity of cultural background are all positively associated with one’s likelihood of success in becoming an entrepreneur. Meanwhile, we also observed inter-ethnic and gender differences in entrepreneurial probability both at time of arrival and in with longer duration at the destination.

RÉSUMÉ

Notre recherche est parmi les premières à explorer l’évolution sociodémographique récente des entrepreneurs immigrés à Hong Kong, qui reflète la dynamique socioéconomique sous-jacente de la ville, de plus en plus propice aux investissements étrangers. À l’aide de données groupées du recensement de Hong Kong de 2001 à 2016, et en nous appuyant sur des modèles de probabilités linéaires basés sur un concept de cohorte synthétique, nous avons comparé les probabilités d’atteindre l’entrepreneuriat parmi des individus présentant différentes caractéristiques démographiques, y compris le sexe, l’âge, le niveau d’éducation, l’ethnicité, la durée de séjour à Hong Kong, etc. Nos résultats préliminaires sont conformes à la théorie de la culture, du capital humain et de l’intersectionnalité – une durée de séjour plus longue à destination, un niveau d’éducation plus élevé, une plus grande connaissance de la langue locale et la similarité des antécédents culturels sont tous positivement associés à la probabilité de réussir à devenir un entrepreneur. Dans le même temps, nous avons également observé des différences interethniques et entre les genres pour la probabilité d’entreprendre, tant au moment de l’arrivée qu’en cas de séjour prolongé à destination.

Keywords:

• Entrepreneurship
• immigrant
• Hong Kong
• integration
• cohort

MOTS-CLÉS:

• Entrepreneuriat
• immigré
• Hong Kong
• intégration
• cohorte

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 We acknowledge that “white” is a rather broad and unfortunately not too accurate category. However, by tabulating the place of birth of white immigrants in Hong Kong, we confirmed that most white immigrants came from countries with similar legal and administrative structure of Hong Kong. Their leading home countries are UK, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Similar to Hong Kong, all of these places are Commonwealth members, sharing similar administrative and legal systems

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Additional information

Notes on contributors

Skylar Biyang Sun

Skylar Biyang Sun, with PhD in sociology, is an assistant professor in the School of International Development and Cooperation at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, China. Her research interests include international relations and foreign investment.

Eric Fong

Eric Fong is the Chair Professor in Sociology and Head of the Sociology Department at the University of Hong Kong. He has been publishing in the areas of migration and group relations.