Crisis fails to halt hunt for bank staff

Growth in manpower has continued in the Hong Kong banking and finance industry, and well-trained staff will still be in demand despite financial market turmoil, according to the Vocational Training Council.

A recent survey by the council's banking training board shows that the industry employs 106,481 people, of which 73.4 per cent work in licensed banks, 3 per cent in deposit-taking companies and 23.6 per cent in other finance companies.

The industry has 1,323 vacancies, representing 1.2 per cent of its workforce. The council said the majority of employers preferred managers and supervisors to have university degrees and professional qualifications, and matriculation and secondary educational standards for clerical staff.

It said the industry's employers were anticipating growth in employee numbers to 1,913, representing a 1.8 per cent increase over last year.

The council recommends that an extra 6,680 people should join the industry next year.