HONG KONG, Jan. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the jobsDB Q4 2013 Hiring Index, 62% of Hong Kong employers intend to hire staff in the coming three months and 23% plan to keep their headcount unchanged. The hiring index survey also shows that 35% of companies plan to improve office environment and eliminating ventilation problem is considered to be a priority.
jobsDB Q4 2013 Hiring Index is based on an online survey conducted in December 2013 to gather information on hiring intentions and office environment. A total of 122 companies participated in the survey.
62% of employers plan to hire
jobsDB Q4 2013 Hiring Index reveals that 62% of Hong Kong employers intend to hire staff in the coming three months, up 7% from Q3 2013. Another 23% plan to keep headcount unchanged, up 4% from Q3 2013.
Mr. Justin Yiu, General Manager of jobsDB Hong Kong, said, "Last year the local economy was stable with a mild GDP growth of about 3%. And for the global economy, if the recovery continues to make good progress, employers should be able to regain business confidence. So hiring activities are likely to grow in Q1 2014 and the growth would become apparent when more people change jobs after bonus payouts. Though there is a slight increase in the percentage of employers who plan to keep headcount unchanged, I think companies still need to make replacement hires. "
He added, "Overall, the labour market remained steady amid global economic uncertainties in 2013. Throughout the year Hong Kong was close to full employment with unemployment rate stood at a low level of 3.3%, suggesting a tight supply of labour. Last year some employers reported that they found it difficult to hire people. This situation is likely to persist in 2014. Our survey shows that frontline and middle management jobs are in demand. I think job seekers should plan ahead for their job search as more vacancies will be available in Q1."
| Hiring plan comparison | |||||
| Q4 2012 | Q1 2013 | Q2 2013 | Q3 2013 | Q4 2013 | |
| We will hire staff | 63% | 59% | 59% | 55% | 62% |
| We will cut head count | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 3% |
| We will freeze head count | 14% | 17% | 21% | 19% | 23% |
| No plan yet | 21% | 22% | 19% | 24% | 11% |
35% of companies plan to improve office environment
According to the survey, 35% of employers plan to improve office environment. Measures include "improve ventilation" and "redesign office, e.g. renovation and increase workspace" (both 40%). Over 90% said their pantries are equipped with refrigerator, microwave and water dispenser while 19% said they do not have a pantry.
Justin Yiu commented, "The office environment has an impact on business management, employee productivity, collaboration and health. So office design and facilities should be catered to employee needs. It is revealed in our survey that most employers plan to improve ventilation, reflecting that ventilation problem is common in Hong Kong. In an office, poor ventilation can cause discomfort and a lack of concentration among those working there. That’s why many employers have set eliminating ventilation problem as priority."
Mr. Yiu added, "Another point worth noting is that 19% of companies do not have a pantry in their offices and 78% of them said they do not have enough space for setting up a pantry. I think this pinpoints the fact that the office space in Hong Kong is quite limited due to high rental costs. Some companies even do not have space for basic office facilities like pantry."
| Office improvement plan | % of companies |
| Improve ventilation | 40% |
| Redesign the office (e.g. renovation, increase workspace etc) |
40% |
| Add greenery with indoor plants | 37% |
| Improve lighting | 28% |
| Provide more ergonomic office equipment (e.g. adjustable chair) |
19% |
| Provide rest area | 16% |
| Others | 16% |
The jobsDB Q4 2013 Hiring Index is available at http://hk.jobsdb.com/StaticContent/hk/hiring-survey/2013/Q4-hiring-index/img/hiring_index_Q4_2013.pdf.
