Hong Kong's hiring outlook to remain stable

The hiring outlook for the last quarter of 2014 in Hong Kong is looking to remain relatively positive.

That was the key finding from the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey conducted by ManpowerGroup, which interviewed bosses from 42 countries, including 815 employers in Hong Kong.

The report highlighted 21% of employers expect to increase staffing levels until December this year, with only 5% planning to decrease headcount.

More than seven out of 10 (71%) of employers also reported they were anticipating no change in their total employment figures.

The report concluded the net employment outlook for the last quarter stood at 16%. The figure was derived by taking the percentage of employers anticipating total employment to increase and subtracting from this the percentage expecting to see a decrease in employment at their location in the next quarter.

“Once the data is adjusted to allow for seasonal variation, the outlook stands at 15% for the second consecutive quarter,” the report stated. “Year-over-year, hiring intentions remain relatively stable.”

The study found hiring activity was forecast to be strongest in the services sector, where employers reported a net employment outlook of 23%.

Solid job gains were also expected in the mining and construction sector, with an outlook of 21%. The transport and utilities sector anticipated a 14% increase in the coming months, while wholesale and retail trade followed at 11%.

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"From a global perspective, hiring plans are mostly positive with employers in 36 of the 42 countries and territories expecting to add to their workforces in the October-December time frame," the report stated.

Indeed, India was highlighted as having the highest increase in expected headcount over the next quarter, with a net employment outlook of 46%.

The survey also reported a 16% expected increase in headcount in Singapore, and 9% increase in China.

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