Nearly half, or 42% of workers in Hong Kong cite work-life balance as the top reason for resigning, according to survey-based research from Randstad Hong Kong.

Among the top five reasons that motivate a worker to resign include: improving work-life balance (42%), low compensation and rising cost of living (28%), lack of career growth opportunities (28%), received an offer they could not refuse (24%) and lack of interest in their job (23%).

Two in five respondents in Hong Kong said they have resigned or considered leaving their employer to improve their work-life balance. This is followed by 28% of survey respondents who said that they would quit for a higher salary to cope with the rising cost of living. Close to one in three employees stated their intention to change jobs this year.

The survey also showed that 22% of Hongkongers changed jobs between July and December 2022, indicating that job switching activities are starting to stabilise to pre-Covid levels (2019: 25%).

Meanwhile, Randstad’s data showed that among work generations most likely to change jobs, millennials led the way with 40%, followed by generation X’ers, and Generation Z’ers (28%).

In the survey, 69% of respondents said non-monetary benefits are important when seeking a new employer. The top non-monetary benefit is a ‘good relationship with colleagues (87%). This was followed by a good relationship with managers (87%), convenient location (85%), flexible work arrangement (85%) and more autonomy to perform in their role (84%).

Data from the survey also showed that 77% of respondents consider upskilling and re-skilling important, yet only 48% have received opportunities to advance their careers.