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Hiring activity in Hong Kong's private sector dwindled 2.7% in March this year

Hiring activity in Hong Kong's private sector dwindled 2.7% in March this year

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The import and export trade industries have the biggest workforce (384,000 workers).

Total employment in the private sector in Hong Kong dropped 2.7% to 73,600 workers in March this year, when compared to the year before, according to the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD). Additionally, the total number of job openings was 39,350, a 7% decrease from the year before.

As a whole, the industries covered, including manufacturing, F&B services, education, and more, employed 2,690,700 workers altogether. The import and export trade industries have the biggest workforce (384,000 workers), followed by professional and business services (excluding cleaning and similar services) (306,700 workers), retail trade (249,900 workers), financing and insurance (236,200 workers), food and beverage services (205,500 workers), and lastly the education sector (205,400 workers).

Decreases in employment were mainly recorded in these industries:

1. Accommodation services including hotels, guesthouses, boarding houses and other establishments providing short term accommodation (-9.4% or -3,600 workers)

2. Import and export trade (-8.6% or -36,100 workers)

3. Wholesale (-8.4% or -4,700 workers)

4. Food and beverage services (-7.2% or -16,000 workers)

5. Transportation, storage, postal and courier services (-6.7% or -11,800 workers)

Conversely, employment increased mainly in the industries of health services (4.0% or 5,600 workers) and real estate (1.9% or 2,500 workers).

Vacancies by industry

Among the 39,350 private sector vacancies, about three in ten came from the industry of financing and insurance (4,780 vacancies), from professional and business services excluding cleaning and similar services (4,470 vacancies) and education (4,130 vacancies).

Fewer than one in ten of the job openings were from residential care and social work services (3,710 vacancies) and from import and export trade (3,050 vacancies).

Decreases were mainly observed in these industries:

1. Professional and business services excluding cleaning and similar services (-680 or -13%)

2. Import and export trade (-530 or -15%)

3. Information and communications (-520 or -24%).

On the bright side, vacancies increased mainly in the industries of education (440 vacancies or 12%); and arts, entertainment, recreation and other services (420 vacancies or 31%). 

The above employment and vacancies statistics were obtained from the Quarterly Survey of Employment and Vacancies and the Quarterly Employment Survey of Construction Sites conducted by the C&SD.

Photo/ iStock

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