Job opportunities for executives have declined further and will not improve until the next financial year, the latest research shows.
Demand is strongest for information technology specialists as firms grapple with millennium bug problems, and jobs for engineers are growing with the West Rail and new MTR projects.
Overall demand for executives dropped six per cent last month, continuing falls of the past year, according to a study by recruitment firm EL Consulting.
The figures, compiled by counting job ads, now stands at 93, the lowest point since the monthly survey began in 1994 when it stood at a base of 100. The firm's principal, Alfred Chown, said the drop came despite a traditional annual increase in vacancies for executives after the summer holidays.
'This year has seen a continuation of declining demand which will not be arrested until the new financial year, when budgets are renewed,' he said.
The fall in the index came as official figures were released on Monday showing record unemployment of 5.3 per cent, up 0.3 percentage points.
