Forty-five pc of employers looking to hire in 2023 Q2: survey
Forty-five percent of Hong Kong employers are looking to hire in the next three months, and the communications services sector drives the most demand at 81 percent, according to the latest employment outlook for the SAR in the second quarter of this year.
The employment outlook was conducted by ManpowerGroup and surveyed nearly 39,000 employers globally, including 510 from Hong Kong.
Among local employers, some 15 percent expect a decrease in staff size, while 38 percent forecast no change to be made to the staff size.
After adjusting for seasonal variation, the outlook stands at a positive 30 percent.
Hiring intentions in Hong Kong increased by 8 percent quarter-over-quarter and increased by 27 percent when compared to this time last year.
The global net employment outlook stands at positive 23 percent, and the net employment outlook for Hong Kong stands at positive 30 percent.
In Hong Kong, the information technology sector has the second-highest demand at 50 percent, followed by the health care and life sciences sector in the third at 40 percent and financials and real estate in fourth at 32 percent.
Consumer goods and services is the sector with the least demand, with the outlook standing at only 16 percent.
Lancy Chui Yuk-shan, senior vice president at ManpowerGroup Greater China, said the overall employment outlook is improving as Hong Kong reopened all borders with mainland China and the economy is gradually recovering from the pandemic.
She also expected the number of travelers to Hong Kong will rise as the city’s global promotion campaign “Hello Hong Kong” and its long-haul express rail services, which fully resume in April, can further boost tourism and related sectors.
She added the government must focus on more than just beneficial policies when luring overseas talents and will need to help talents adapt and make themselves home after they come.