Employment Ads In HK Now Surpasses Pre-COVID Levels
HONG KONG – The latest data from online platform JobsDB shows that employment opportunities in the Chinese territory have recovered to surpass pre-pandemic levels last year, reported the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on Tuesday evening (25 January, SGT).
Based on data published on Monday, the overall number of recruitment ads last year surged by 73 percent from 2020 and even exceeded 2019’s level by 8.46 percent. The increase in job opportunities from the 4th quarter of 2021 is also forecasted to continue after the Lunar New Year.
Among the job openings, banking or finance, and information technology (IT), as well as corporate sales and business development were the most sought-after roles last year. In fact, ads related to such functions respectively rose by 35, 55 and 36 percent from 2020.
Ads for roles in virtual banking also spiked by 58 percent on an annual basis, following the rapid development of electronic payment, virtual banking, and other linked businesses in financial firms.
“The pandemic has prompted financial institutions to invest more resources in technology, to provide more convenient and flexible services to cope with the ever-changing market landscape,” noted JobsDB Hong Kong’s Managing Director Bill Lee.
“With the use of mobile payment and virtual banking becoming more prevalent, there has also been a shift in requirements for talent acquisition.”
Apart from traditional banking and roles related to risk management, he pointed out that functions related to software application & development, in addition to network systems, are also expected to be among the most coveted jobs.
Furthermore, JobDB’s Hiring, Compensation, and Benefits Report in 2021 revealed that 46 percent of the polled employers expected the labour market to remain buoyant in 2022.
“With businesses poised for more robust growth through the transitional period and the peak hiring season after the Lunar New Year, employees, especially those who are more experienced and qualified, could more proactively seek career breakthroughs and advancement opportunities, and stay up speed with the recruitment market,” added Lee.
