University graduates face tough competition and low salaries as they enter Hong Kong’s crowded workforce
- Fresh graduates stand to earn about 9.6 per cent less than a quarter of a century ago with number of applicants greater than the skilled jobs on offer
- With graduates accounting for 34 per cent of the city’s workers, analysts say a rethinking of attitudes towards certain jobs and sectors is needed
With about a month to go before the class of 2019 graduates, Mike Lee is more frustrated than triumphant. The business studies student at Polytechnic University’s Community College went from booth to booth at a recent employment fair and ended up with a handful of brochures and promotional material, but no sign of a job offer.
“I get that competition is keen,” said Lee, 23, who checked out jobs for market research or hotel management trainee positions. “But I did not expect the pay to be so low – only about HK$11,000 [US$1,410] to HK$12,000 a month.”
He had hoped to land a job as a management trainee that paid HK$15,000 to HK$18,000.
The job fair proved to be a reality check. “If I’m desperate, I might apply for a job as a general clerk first,” he said.
He is not alone. Charlotte Wong, 22, a sociology student finishing her final year at the University of Hong Kong, wants a trainee position in public relations or human resources but has not been able to secure a permanent offer.
“Some companies have many rounds of interviews,” she said, adding that employers’ expectations could be harsh. “It’s understandable that they’re looking for the ‘best of the best’, but the problem is that new graduates are not yet fully equipped with what employers need.”