Airport engineering

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) is one of the world's busiest aviation hubs. Technical jobs prospects at the city's global gateway will no doubt remain bright and positive.

For instance, the government has been investigating the feasibility of building a third runway to ease the air-traffic congestion currently plaguing the airport. If the plan pushes through, job opportunities for engineers will be greatly enhanced.

The HKIA Master Plan 2030, issued by the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), proposes two development options - either two or three runways. Direct employment under a two-runway option was expected to increase to 62,000 in 2008, while that for the three-runway option would rise to 154,000 in 2008.

Both options could generate significant employment opportunities involving engineering, as well as related jobs in construction. It was anticipated that roughly 40 per cent of the new jobs created under both options would require skilled labour. Hong Kong's engineering students and graduates can rest assured of steady demand for their talents in future.

The mainland is another potential major market, with airlines planning to buy about 5,000 aircraft over the next 20 years, while the state, with its ambitions for the aviation industry, aims to design and build its own planes in the long term.