Hong Kong saw a 4% year-on-year increase in job advertising despite continuing softening in the retail and tourism sectors, Robert Walters has reported. In their quarterly Asia Job Index, the recruitment firm found that firms in particular are looking to hire legal and compliance experts as this saw this largest growth in adverts year-on-year at 23%. This is seen as a response to the tightening regulatory requirements and growth in corporate compliance roles.
Accounting and Finance continued to have a strong showing on job boards but since Q2 of 2015 has dropped to second place from 21% year-on-year to 17% in Q3. As firms are also stepping up efforts to maintain and improve IT infrastructure, they have actively sought IT professionals leading to a 14% increase in job advertising compared to last year in Q3.
Commenting on the situation in Hong Kong, Matthew Bennett, Managing Director—Greater China, Robert Walters commented, “There was a steady stream of replacement-based openings with many organisations opting not to hire like-for-like replacements but rather taking the opportunity to upskill roles. Hong Kong remains a prime gateway for companies looking to enter the Asia market with the ease of setting up business in the city, and we therefore expect the demand for top talent will continue to be strong for the rest of the year.”
China on the other hand has shown a decline of 7% year-on-year in advertisements. Arthur Wang, Managing Director—China, Robert Walters put that down to the slowdown in China’s economic growth saying that companies are hiring more strategically and conservatively.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
