Serena Ma Hong-yee is a Hong Kong headhunter's dream come true. She is confident, well-presented, speaks English, Cantonese and some Putonghua, and is a graduate in international relations with a few years of work experience.
These qualifications sound common for a Hong Kong resident, but the high demand for her skills suggests otherwise. Ms Ma started looking for a job in August and, before the end of the month, she had four firm offers on the table, two of them significantly better than she had expected.
The scenario is becoming common as companies scramble to employ the few good candidates that briefly enter the employment market amid the accelerating economy. New figures out this week show that Hong Kong's jobless rate last month improved slightly to 4.1 per cent, the lowest level in almost a decade. The figure is down from 4.2 per cent in August. As skilled workers become harder to find, employers are now warning that the skills shortage will have an impact on corporate profits.
'Historically, it is as bad as it has ever been,' said Gina McLellan, Hong Kong manager of recruitment company Hudson. 'It is dire. Some companies will not be able to deliver on their growth targets. They have got the facilities, they've got the materials and they've got the manufacturing capabilities - they just don't have anyone to do the jobs.'
A recent survey of 250 firms by financial and business advisory firm Grant Thornton found that nearly half wanted to increase their workforce next year and a third were worried that a lack of available staff would constrain their growth. 'Clients from different industries have been complaining,' said Daniel Lin Ching-yee, an accountant and spokesman for Grant Thornton.
The problem is most acute in the engineering sector, as huge property developments in southern China have drawn experienced engineers away from Hong Kong. The service industry has also been badly hit, with Macau's casino and hotel boom enticing good staff from the Hong Kong hotel industry.