Labour minister Chris Sun on Saturday said it's not meaningful to identify the countries and regions where talents come from, as Hong Kong's schemes are attractive for both mainland talents and those educated overseas.

Speaking on a radio programme, Sun said a large proportion of people admitted through the Top Talent Pass Scheme were from the mainland.

Earlier, experts and different sectors had urged the government to disclose information about the places talents are from, in order to analyse the effectiveness of different talent schemes.

But the minister said it's more important to know what sectors the talents are from, instead of their place of origin and the schools they graduated from.

"Around 20 percent [of them], when they made the application, they stayed in overseas territories. In particular, if we look at those who are either fresh graduates or with less than three years of work experience, around 40 percent, when they make the application, they stayed overseas," he said.

"So this is by self a clear indication of the attraction of the Top Talent Pass Scheme to those with overseas education experience and qualification."

The authorities said earlier that the number of talents admitted to the SAR this year had reached 70,000, doubling the government's target.