Employees in Hong Kong will be putting HR through their paces in 2013 as they are the most optimistic worldwide about organisational performance and future job opportunities.
Over 61% of employees globally label the economic situation in their country as 'bad', according to the latest findings of the Randstad Workmonitor. Most Hong Kong employees, however, are optimistic about the situation with 70% saying the economic situation is good and are among the most positive globally in saying the performance will improve in 2013.
The results will no doubt be unwelcome by HR professionals finding it ever more difficult to retain top performers. When employee confidence in the job market strengthens, company hopping among employees soon follows suit. According to Brien Keegan, Director, Randstad Hong Kong HR must be ready to strategise in order to keep hold of their best talent in 2013.
Positivism creates HR pressure
The Survey, which covers 1620 employees in Hong Kong, found that just under 80% of organisations are perceived to be performing well and nine out of ten employees believe this performance will improve even further next year.
Keegan said, "The Randstad Workmonitor report gives a clear indication of what Hong Kong employees are expecting from their employers in 2013, while being optimistic about the economic situation—this is in contrast to other countries where the outlook is distinctly bleaker such as Japan and many European countries. This positive expectation implies that employers will need to work more strategically to retain talent, while at the same time coping with economic and internal pressures to remain competitive."
Optimistic outlook costs
This optimism, however, comes at a price with a global average of 73% of employees indicating that their workload has increased in 2012—at 83% Hong Kong ranks at the high end. Employees globally would like to improve their work-life balance in 2013 and employees in Hong Kong employees are highly expressive on this issue: 97% of Hong Kong employees agree to this statement versus 80% on average globally.
“Eight out of ten Hong Kong employees said they received a pay rise in 2012 and almost all employees—a staggering 95%—say they are expecting a pay rise in 2013.”
Salary expectations
Eight out of ten Hong Kong employees said they received a pay rise in 2012 and almost all employees, 95%, say they are expecting a pay rise in 2013 compared to just a shade over 60% globally. In Hong Kong, 95% of employees expect to receive a one-time bonus, compared to 64% on average globally, but only 89% say they deserve one.
Christmas gifts
Along with an expected bonus at the end of the year, Hong Kong employees tend to receive an employer gift at Christmas time more often than the global average as well: 89% versus 52%.
Employees desire upscale
Keegan added, “An interesting statistic is that a very high proportion,77%, of Hong Kong employees will be looking to make New Year's resolutions about their career. This demonstrates clear optimism that Hong Kong will perform better in the new year and with that comes the perceived abundance of new opportunities for employees looking to upscale.”
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
