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The best and worst paying jobs for HK's fresh grads

If their main focus is money, Hong Kong's fresh graduates would be best to apply for positions in banking and finance and professional services, and avoid jobs in merchandising, accounting and hospitality and F&B.

This is according to a Jobs DB Hong Kong survey, which ranked the five best and worst paying jobs for the country's fresh graduates, comparing them to the most and least attractive jobs in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia the Philippines.

To attract and retain top talent from the universities, the banking and finance-related jobs rely on good salary packages to sweeten the deal.

"The banking and finance posts are undoubtedly the most stable and reliable source of quality jobs," said Dr. Andy Wong, assistant dean (undergraduate studies) of The Chinese University of Hong Kong Business School.

"Good salaries, structured career path and perceived social prestige in association with bankers are all key factors that attract fresh graduates."

Among the total of 23 main categories2 of job functions included in this study, the bottom five paying jobs in Hong Kong were found to be merchandising & purchasing, accounting, hospitality and F&B, admin & HR and transportation and logistics.

"The difference between the talent supply and demand is one of the key reasons behind the salary gap of fresh graduates. The supply of certain job functions is relatively higher in the market, which will eventually result in a relatively low pay standard. On the contrary, some job functions requiring professional qualifications are relatively short in supply, resulting in higher pay standards," said Justin Yiu, GM of Jobs DB Hong Kong.

"However, salary standards should not be the only factor to consider in job hunting. The graduates should also consider one's personal interest, strength and core competence for career development."

The top 5 paying jobs

chart1

 

The bottom 5 paying jobs

chart2

Image: Shutterstock

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