According to the results of the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey released today, 167 employers in Hong Kong anticipate modest workforce gains in Q4 2021 October to December period.

With 25% of employers expecting to increase payrolls, 17% anticipating a decrease and 58% forecasting no change, the resulting Net Employment Outlook is +8%.

After being adjusted for seasonal variation, the Outlook also stands at +8%. Hiring prospects improve by 7 percentage points in comparison with the prior quarter and are 10 percentage points stronger when compared with this time one year ago.

“Hong Kong’s unemployment rate was down 0.5 percentage points over the previous quarter to 5.0% in May - July 2021.” said Lancy Chui, Senior Vice President at ManpowerGroup Greater China Limited.  “The labour market should continue to improve along with the economic recovery. Employers in all six Hong Kong industry sectors expect to add to payrolls in the upcoming quarter, with Outlooks strengthening across all six sectors in comparison with both the previous quarter and the final quarter of 2020. Hiring sentiment is strongest in Hong Kong’s Finance, Insurance & Real Estate sector, where the Outlook of +11% improves by 6 percentage points quarter-over-quarter and by 15 percentage points when compared with the same period last year. Also, we continue to see growing demand across different industries for flexible staffing,” said Chui