According to the latest labour force statistics released by the HK SAR Government Census and Statistics Department, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 3.2% from May to July 2012—identical to that reported for the period from April to June 2012. This is consistent with research conducted by Robert Half Hong Kong among CFOs and Financial Services leaders in Hong Kong.
Commenting on the immediate term, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, said, “The labour market remained in a state of full employment. It is noteworthy that the recent private sector vacancy figures still demonstrate a generally positive hiring sentiment among employers.” Robert Half reported that executives have predicted growth in their finance, accounting and banking teams in the last two quarters.
Brien Keegan, Director, Randstad Hong Kong, expressed caution for the end-of-season outlook, “With the summer coming to an end we can expect pressure on the local employment market as new graduates and school leavers chase job opportunities in an already constricted market. Although the retail and life-science sectors continue to provide multi-discipline employment opportunities, entry positions in other industries are increasingly difficult to secure.”
Banking and finance remain the most sought-after industries for many fresh graduates and young adults. Those with an interest in this area but no previous experience may consider:
- local CPA or Certified Public Accounting Firms
- entry level positions at the Big 4 accounting firms
- management training programmes
- internships
- recruitment agencies
- social media
- networking in person
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
