Work-life balance remains Hong Kong employees’ top priority when choosing an employer: Survey

A good working environment, reasonable workloads, and flexible work arrangements emerge as the key contributors to a healthy work-life balance.

Work-life balance remains the top consideration for Hong Kong employees when choosing an ideal employer, as workers increasingly prioritise tangible working conditions alongside competitive compensation and job security, according to Randstad’s 2026 Employer Brand Research.

Based on a survey of 2,500 respondents in Hong Kong SAR, conducted as part of a global study involving more than 166,000 people, 56% of Hong Kong respondents ranked work-life balance as the most important employee value proposition (EVP) in 2026, up from 50% in 2025 and 46% in 2024.

Top EVP factors in 2026:

1. Work-life balance (56%)
2. Salary and benefits (52%)
3. Job security (43%)
4. Career progression (39%)
5. Pleasant work atmosphere (38%)

What does work-life balance actually mean to employees?

Rather than viewing work-life balance primarily through the lens of workplace culture or how employees “feel”, the research indicated that Hong Kong workers place greater emphasis on tangible working conditions.

A good work environment was the most commonly cited contributor to a healthy work-life balance, selected by 48% of respondents, followed by reasonable workloads and expectations (44%) and flexible work arrangements (42%).

Other important factors included:

• Health and wellbeing support (33%)
• Time off and recovery (31%)
• Easy access to work either physically or digitally (28%)
• Personal growth and fulfilment (26%)
• Social and family support (26%)
• Supportive leadership and culture (23%)

Different generations, different expectations

Work-life balance ranked as the top EVP factor across all generations surveyed, cited by 48% of Gen Z, 57% of Millennials, and 59% of Gen X respondents, with its importance increasing with age.

However, the factors contributing to a healthy work-life balance varied slightly across generations.

While a good work environment remained a baseline expectation across all age groups, Gen Z placed greater emphasis on flexible work arrangements, cited by 42%. Millennials and Gen X, meanwhile, placed greater importance on reasonable workloads and expectations, at 44% and 45% respectively.

Work-life balance can also determine who leaves

The importance of work-life balance extends beyond talent attraction, with the survey showing that it can also influence employees’ decisions to leave an organisation.

Improving work-life balance was one of the leading reasons respondents said they had left or would leave an employer, cited by 38%, alongside compensation that was considered too low. A lack of career growth opportunities followed at 29%.

Slight differences emerged across generations. Improving work-life balance was the leading reason for leaving among Millennials (41%) and Gen Z (35%), while Gen X placed slightly greater emphasis on low compensation (40%), followed closely by work-life balance (37%).