Work in Hong Kong? Some top talent now telling recruiters ‘no’ over fears of escalating protests
- Local workers asking recruiters about jobs elsewhere, especially in Singapore
- Some positions are being left unfilled as employers wait for stability
Protests are weighing on Hong Kong’s job market, making it harder for recruiters to woo top talent to move to the city and prompting other workers already here to ask about opportunities elsewhere.
Eight recruiters – ranging across industries from financial services to human resources – told the South China Morning Post that some candidates say they do not want to move to Hong Kong because of protests that began in early June. They also say they have received inquiries from local workers wanting to move to work elsewhere, again due to the protests.
Some said client firms are delaying on hiring until the city’s unrest has settled.
“I have definitely seen people not take roles because they or their partners from overseas have decided not to look at Hong Kong as an option, questioning its stability,” said a consultant who works for a Hong Kong-based legal recruitment firm. He said the shift in attitude has narrowed the pool of available talent.
Hong Kong is heading into its twelfth consecutive week of protests. What started in June as peaceful demonstrations against a proposed extradition bill initiated by chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has expanded into anger over social problems, such as expensive housing, as well as the police’s handling of the demonstrations. And the images of the clashes between police and protesters have become a global news story.