2 in 5 professionals expect to change employers in the year: report

Close to three in 10 are actively seeking new positions.

Nearly half or 42% of employees in Hong Kong expect to find a new employer within the next 12 months, according to recruiting experts Hays' Asia Salary Guide 2019.

The report, which highlights salary and recruiting trends in mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore, found that almost three in ten or 28% of Hong Kong-based employees are actively seeking a new position. Whilst this figure is down from 2018's number, Hays highlighted that the number of passive candidates who are open to new employment rose sharply from 41% to 48%.

Also read: Hong Kong hit by growing private sector vacancies

Whilst work-life balance was found to be the top reason for professionals to stay with their current employer, close half of them or 49% of respondents rated their work-life balance as above average which is a slight improvement from the 45% who said the same in 2018.

“However, those who consider their balance to be ‘very good’ has fallen from 17% to 14%, highlighting the fact that employees should put more consideration into using any flexible working practices on offer, and that employers should show a greater willingness to utilise these policies in talent retention strategies," Hays Hong Kong's managing director Dean Stallard said in a statement. "Although many employees take advantage of flexitime or home or mobile working practices, about half of them or 48% say they do not use a flexible working option, showing that there is definite room for improvement in this area.”

Meanwhile, close to two thirds or 64% of employees said they were 'satisfied' or ‘very satisfied’ with their current compensation package, which is a vast improvement from 2018's 51%. As a result, 53% of respondents said they did not request for a pay raise.

In terms of skill sets, the report found an upswing in confidence over skill levels with 72% of employees believing that their talents would continue to be in demand by employers five years from now.

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