Only one in five Hong Kong millennials expect to stay with current employer, survey finds
Study shows that while differences exist between older and younger workers in the city, most have similar view of how they want to be treated by their bosses
Hong Kong millennials – adults under the age of 35 – are more likely to leave their current jobs than their older peers, but both groups want their bosses to be more inclusive instead of commanding, a survey has found.
The Association Internationale des Étudiants en Sciences Économiques et Commerciales (AIESEC), an international youth-run network, polled 1,000 people in the city in December. Some 49 per cent were millennials born between 1983 to 2000 and the rest were non-millennials aged between 35 and 54.
Only 19 per cent of the millennials polled said they expected to stay with their current employers in the foreseeable future, 14 percentage points lower than the non-millennials and eight percentage points lower than the overall rate.
While only 13 per cent of the non-millennials admitted that they were actively looking for a new job, 27 per cent of the millennials reported an ongoing job hunt.
Despite the differing levels of loyalty to their current jobs, both groups favoured an “affiliative” leadership style, which promotes harmony within teams and connects colleagues by encouraging inclusion.
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Both groups also dislike commanding bosses who issue top-to-bottom orders, threaten disciplinary action and maintain tight control over teams.
Both the millennials and non-millennials said good income and nice workplaces were the two expectations worst met by their employers.
The younger generation also had higher expectations on employers to improve their skills, protect the environment and generate more jobs than the non-millennials.
Lau Ming-wai, chairman of the city’s Commission on Youth, said both the millennials and employers should think about how to realise these expectations.
“Companies like Facebook and Google offer all the [goodies] the millennials want and receive thousands of applications for their jobs but the acceptance rate can’t be high … for those employers who are still in the old mindsets, an alarming call will be a question: are they getting the best talent they want?” Lau said.
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He also said people should stop labelling the millennials’ “jumpiness” in the labour market as a negative trait.
“From jobs to relationships, millennials have more options. The more options you have, the more you want to try [different options]. The jumpiness does not necessarily reflect something wrong with the generation,” Lau said.
Gary Wong Chi-him, founder of InspiringHK Sports Foundation and another panellist, said employers should build faster promotion tracks to bring more fresh voices into the executive level, while young employees should plan for their professional track records instead of changing jobs rashly.
