Job opportunities in Hong Kong dip 2%

Only three sectors showed signs of improved recruiting activity.

According to eFinancialCareers Quarterly Job Barometer, Hong Kong’s job opportunities remained essentially flat with a minor 2% quarter-on-quarter decrease, while Singapore and Australia experienced modest improvement of 3% and 4% respectively.

Here's more from eFinancialCareers:

Financial sector job opportunities in Asia-Pacific dropped 14% year-on-year with average job postings in the region decreasing from 2,871 in Q2 2011 to 2,464 in Q2 2012, according to the latest quarterly Jobs Barometer from eFinancialCareers, the leading global career site network for professionals working in the investment banking, asset management and securities industries.

Amidst the conservative hiring environment across APAC, there are still some areas of  growth: job postings for information-services positions in the region increased by 76% yearon-year in Q2, driven by a growing emphasis on risk management.

Although redundancies and lowered recruitment affected Hong Kong in Q2, there is  optimism in the job market, especially for sectors with a focus on China.

In the second half of 2012, the following sectors are anticipated to see improved recruiting  activity:

• Asset management - A rapidly increasing base of Mainland China clients at Hong Kong  firms require management of Yuan funds.
• Global custody - Safe-haven investing for clients with experience in cross-border  trading with Mainland China.
• Compliance - Bilingual professionals who understand the local regulatory environment.