A check by the Post of all 161 candidates’ declared occupations found that 45, or 28 per cent, are professionals, compared with 51 from the previous election, marking a 10 per cent decrease even though there are now more nominees.

The drop was notable in the functional constituencies, where the number of professional candidates fell from 25 in 2021 to 15, marking less competition in the sector. Functional constituencies comprise 28 specified trade or service sectors whose members elect their representatives to Legco.

All but two of the 28 functional constituencies have only two contenders each. This includes the medical and health services and accountancy constituencies, which had five-way and four-way races, respectively, in 2021.

Nineteen professionals are standing in the Election Committee constituency, and 11 in the geographical constituencies – a slight increase from the previous election.

Among the professional candidates in all constituencies, 12 are from the legal sector, including Thomas So Shiu-tsung, the former head of the Law Society. Eleven are academics or teachers, such as Ray Cheung Chak-chung, associate provost of City University.