A third of employees willing to trade 10% of salary for job security: survey

Job security ranks as the third highest priority for local workers.

A third (39%) of employees in Hong Kong have expressed willingness to trade more than a tenth of their salaries in exchange for job security, which represents a headline figure higher than the Asia Pacific average of 29%, according to a survey from Randstad.

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Nearly half (43%) of respondents consider job security as part of an ideal employer, trailing only behind attractive salaries and benefits, and work-life balance in terms of priorities. Financial health ranked as the fourth priority of employees. 

“Employees and job seekers across all ages are acutely aware of the impact that business restructuring and digital transformation projects could potentially have on their jobs. The last thing any employee want is to be made redundant because of factors that are beyond their control, especially if they have just gone through a tedious job search process,” Natellie Sun, Managing Director at Randstad Hong Kong said in a statement.

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In searching for employment opportunities, job portals emerged as the top channel for job searches, followed by recruiters. Almost half of respondents admitted to have having been counseled by one, and a third (34%) were able to find a new job in 2018 through a recruiter. 

Job-seekers notably gravitate towards online platforms when gathering information about career opportunities and potential employers with 91% of respondents using online channels to gauge a company’s reputation. In terms of age brackets, Millennials and Generation Z prefer using social media platforms, whilst Generation X and Baby Boomers will more likely reach out to their established professional networks to gather insights.