Advertisement

Tough ride ahead for Hong Kong graduates, as job vacancies fall 55 per cent amid economy battered by protests, pandemic

  • Major online employment portals show openings for new entrants down sharply in early 2020
  • This year’s graduates likely to take longer to land full-time work, for less pay too

Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
61
Salary levels for fresh graduates are expected to drop by 10 to 20 per cent this year. Photo: Nora Tam
The number of job vacancies for university graduates in Hong Kong has been more than halved, and the average salary could be slashed by up to 20 per cent, amid a double whammy of protests and the coronavirus pandemic, according to analysts and the latest figures from major employment platforms.
Advertisement

As 20,000 to 30,000 new graduates prepare to join the job market, many have already had a taste of the grim outlook as they received little feedback on the dozens of applications they sent. It was equally difficult to line up internships or trainee positions.

Recruitment website JobsDB told the Post there were only about 20,000 vacancies for graduates between January and April this year, 55 per cent less than the same period last year.

Vacancies slid more than 31 per cent in April to March, while 15 per cent fewer companies were hiring. There is no indication the prospects will improve later this year.

Isaac Shao, CEO of JobsDB, at the company’s offices in Wan Chai. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Isaac Shao, CEO of JobsDB, at the company’s offices in Wan Chai. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Advertisement

The Joint Institution Job Information System (JIJIS), a portal for employers and university students run by the eight publicly funded universities, shows about 12,200 graduate jobs were available from January to March 2020, a 40 per cent drop compared with the same period last year.

Advertisement