While many firms are worried about anaemic business this year and are consolidating staff, the city's hotel and restaurant sector is booming, offering fresh opportunities and excellent career prospects.
After the successful opening of an Italian restaurant with American celebrity chef Mario Batali, restaurant group Dining Concepts (Hong Kong) is expanding again and hiring a large number of people to staff three new restaurants.
'I have openings in June, July and November - a total of four openings this year,' says Dining Concepts managing director Sandeep Sekhri. 'I'm looking for close to 200 staff.'
He adds that with about 550 people in the company, the group's 5 per cent attrition rate - already one of the lowest in the industry - means that he is constantly on the lookout for 25 to 30 people.
'Hiring is a constant process - hiring, training, retaining. It is a challenge. In the past 18 months, human resources have been the biggest challenge,' Sekhri says.
With the number of his restaurants going up from 18 to 22 this year, Sekhri is going to increase his workforce by another 40 to 50 per cent, and those people all have to be assimilated into the company almost at once.