Talent & Tech Asia Summit 2024
The most important job competencies Hong Kong employers expect from recent college graduates

The most important job competencies Hong Kong employers expect from recent college graduates

閱讀中文版本

Trends pointed to internship experience being valued over academic background for employers.

In good news for youth looking for jobs, Hong Kong's employers have set out specific job-related competencies they're expecting while hiring recent college graduates. These are:

  • IT application know-how and prospect (81.6%),
  • Relevant internship experience (62.4%), and
  • Candidates should have studied relevant subjects (60.5%).

These are the top three priorities among 109 local employers surveyed by Hong Kong Healthcare Market Research and Consulting in June 2022.

Hiring sentiment seems to be on the rebound, as nearly 70% (68.8%) of employers surveyed said they may consider hiring a new graduate in the second half of the year.

Nearly 90% (89.9%) even said they might consider hiring a graduate who has relevant work experience even though the graduate may not have a degree relevant to job requirements. As such, trends pointed to internship experience being valued over academic background for employers. 

Moon Wong, Director at Hong Kong Healthcare Market Research and Consulting, affirmed: "Graduates still have many chances to find a job during the pandemic even though the economy has decreased and the employment market is under pressure.

"Compared to academic background and achievements, employers value work experience even more. If students have similar work experience, chances are they are more likely to get hired."

On the sidelines of this survey, Hong Kong Nang Yan College of Higher Education, which commissioned this research, has launched a new incubation programme, titled Incubation Lifelong Learning Scheme (ILLS), aimed to enable students to find a job after graduation.

Prof. Wong, Kwok Shing Thomas, Acting Principal Professor at the Hong Kong Nang Yan College of Higher Education said: "ILLS allows students to learn from theory and practice at the same time by putting what they've learned into practice."

"We've already invited several institutions to join this programme. In the future, we welcome more enterprises or institutions to support and join us."

In fact, based on the survey results, roughly 80% (77.1%) of employers pointed out that students who joined this programme will be more likely to be hired. 


Image / Shutterstock

Follow us on Telegram and on Instagram @humanresourcesonline for all the latest HR and manpower news from around the region! 

Follow us on Telegram and on Instagram @humanresourcesonline for all the latest HR and manpower news from around the region!

Free newsletter

Get the daily lowdown on Asia's top Human Resources stories.

We break down the big and messy topics of the day so you're updated on the most important developments in Asia's Human Resources development – for free.

subscribe now open in new window