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More than six in 10 employees in Hong Kong polled said they are unhappy at work and almost half of them said they intended to change jobs in the next 12 months, according to a survey carried out by a job-seeking website. Photo: AFP

Six in 10 Hongkongers unhappy in their jobs - and half intend moving on in the next year

Employees polled in the city say relationship with colleagues more important than salary in determining job satisfaction

Timmy Sung

More than six in 10 employees in Hong Kong are unhappy at work and almost half said they intended to change jobs in the next 12 months, according to a survey carried out by a job-seeking website.

JobsDB.com polled about 2,400 Hong Kong workers online between May and June this year and found salary (54 per cent) was the secondary factor to happiness in the workplace, behind relationships with colleagues and bosses (63 per cent).

But when it came to changing jobs, four out of ten said money was the major reason why they want to quit, followed by environment and culture at their firms.

Read more: Salaries of Hong Kong’s university graduates dropped 20 per cent in last 20 years, study finds

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A vast majority believed changing jobs is a good decision and three-quarters of the respondents said working in another company would make them happier – despite the fear of losing job security.

“We hope this report can provide employers with some insights into how to retain talent by increasing happiness at work,” said Justin Yiu, the general manager of the company’s Hong Kong office.

Tamty McGill Consultants International country manager and human resources expert Virginia Choi said she did not think Hong Kong had a serious problem with employee dissatisfaction and few would be interested in leaving their jobs due to the poor economy.

“The momentum in the economy is not very good and, secondly, the stock market is quite turbulent,” she said. “So even though employees are not very happy with their jobs at the moment… motivation to change their job will not be very high.”

Choi said any survey taken of employees would usually find some dissatisfaction in the workplace because employee relations were a constant challenge. “You can never satisfy employees,” she said.

Separately, international recruitment consultancy Robert Walters said mid-level, trilingual professionals were the most sought-after candidates at present, and that hiring trends and demand are expected to remain similar for the rest of the year.

Professionals moving jobs could expect an average salary increase of between 10 to 15 per cent, it added.

More than six in 10 employees in Hong Kong polled said they are unhappy at work and almost half of them said they intended to change jobs in the next 12 months, according to a survey carried out by a job-seeking website.

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