Job ads edge up 1.7%

Recruitment is still lacklustre.

According to Robert Walters Asia Job Index, recruitment advertising in Hong Kong was broadly flat, with job advertisements in Q3 only 1.7% ahead of Q2, reflecting a market that has continued to be cautious.

Here's more from Robert Walters:

The slowdown of the Chinese economy has had a knock-on effect, most noticeably on export-related hiring. This was most obviously seen in the decline in advertising for roles in Operations & Logistics, which was down by 31.3%.

Although retail sales were ahead year-on-year, the rate of growth has slowed since Q2 and job advertising in retail has only increased by 3.7%. Medical Services saw a sharp uplift in job advertising, with a 30.3% increase in job advertisements, evidence of an increasing trend in health tourism, with Chinese people visiting Hong Kong for medical care and treatment.

The relatively buoyant residential property market resulted in an increase of 9.2% in the number of roles advertised in Property Management. The 32.7% rise in advertising for legal positions was largely driven by commerce and industry, with international businesses increasingly delegating legal issues to local offices, especially in intellectual property, technology and energy.