As we enter 2025, the Hong Kong employment market continues to evolve, presenting both opportunities and challenges for businesses. The Hong Kong Employment Outlook 2025 delves into the key trends shaping the city's talent market.
The ninth edition of our annual report analyses the city’s latest employment trends and explores the prospects of Hong Kong’s talent market for 2025 based on the insights of our subject matter experts and a survey with Hong Kong business executives and professionals.
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About the Survey
Conducted between 2 and 14 January 2025, the survey collected the perspectives of 425 Hong Kong business executives and professionals on employment trends and career opportunities in Hong Kong and the wider Greater Bay Area (GBA).
Respondents were drawn from various sectors, with 53% of respondents’ organisations being headquartered in Hong Kong. Among the respondents, 50% held leadership positions (21% C-level and 29% department head or equivalent).
This year also marks the first time the survey was expanded to Singapore, for which the findings are covered in a separate publication.
Executive summary
A cautious employment market
24%
of all respondents expect their organisations’ workforce to increase in 2025
A cautious employment market
44%
of C-level respondents anticipate headcount expansion in 2025, showing more optimism
Talent demand adapts to market conditions
97%
of C-level and HR respondents experienced challenges in hiring the right talent
Shifting priorities – Stability is increasingly sought after
39%
of respondents put stability as their top non-monetary factor when choosing a new employer – up from 31% in 2024
Headcount Expectations
Taking a strategic approach towards corporate governance, board-level responsibility and reporting
14% of respondents reported securing new employment in 2024, with the consumer markets, financial services, and innovation and technology industries experiencing the highest concentration of successful job seekers. This compares to 39% of respondents who actively sought new job opportunities, highlighting an increasingly competitive job market.
The survey explores the gap between compensation package expectations and benefits provided, highlighting disparities across sectors and between generations of employees.
Salary Outlook
Employees are seeking stability amid growing market uncertainties
- Career moves in 2024
- Career moves first half in 2025
Career moves in 2024
14% of respondents reported securing new employment in 2024, with the consumer markets, financial services, and innovation and technology industries experiencing the highest concentration of successful job seekers. This compares to 39% of respondents who actively sought new job opportunities, highlighting an increasingly competitive job market.
The survey explores the gap between compensation package expectations and benefits provided, highlighting disparities across sectors and between generations of employees.
39
%
of respondents sought new job opportunities in 2024 
Career moves first half in 2025
In the first half of 2025, 29% of respondents are thinking about changing careers, down from 39% last year. While all sectors have seen a decrease in job seekers, the professional services and real estate industries are the most affected.
In this report, we cover Hong Kong professionals’ compensation and career move expectations for 2025, highlighting Hong Kong employment trends over the years and how organisations can better prepare to address them.
 |
2025 29 % |
 |
2024 39 % |
| of respondents are considering career moves in the first half of the year |
Talent Management
Employers must adapt to shifting employee demands to retain talent
- Talent retention
- Compensation and benefits
- Talent markets where organisations hired
- Greater Bay Area opportunities
Talent retention
For the third year in a row, compensation package, career progression, and work flexibility have remained the top three drivers for job seekers. Recent years have witnessed a growing trend of employees seeking new employment opportunities due to an increase in workload, work pressure, and concerns about job security.
The Hong Kong Employment Outlook 2025 analyses the drivers behind this dynamic and gives a detailed analyses of employees’ expectations, helping employers to understand their workforce needs and cater to them in order to maximise talent attraction and retention.
Compensation and benefits
After observing several years of increase, the average number of benefits provided levelled off at slightly less than 4 benefits provided in 2024. This shift may be due to a softened talent market in 2024. The report takes an in depth look at the implications of employees’ benefits expectations and particularly the differences in expectations between senior employees and executives and more junior employees.
Talent markets where organisations hired
Half (51%) of C-level and HR respondents hired talent from the Chinese Mainland in 2025 while 28% hired from overseas markets. Nearly all C-level and HR respondents (97%) reported encountering challenges in securing the right talent. These challenges were deemed unmanageable by a higher proportion of C-level and HR professionals in professional services (75%), the public sector (70%), and financial services (59%).
As the Hong Kong employment market becomes increasingly competitive, the Hong Kong Employment Outlook 2025 showcases how are organisations coping with the shifting landscape to recruit the right talent.
Greater Bay Area opportunities
65% of respondents say their organisation is either already operating in other GBA cities (outside of Hong Kong) or planning to expand there within the next three years. With the growing talent pool and increasingly interconnected logistics within the GBA, more Hong Kong-based companies are capitalising on the opportunity to source talent from the region. The GBA's market potential, coupled with various tax incentive schemes, also provides strong incentives for companies to expand their operations within the area.
The report analyses these incentives and advantages and shows how Hong Kong-based organisations leverage them to both recruit new talent and expand their operations.
Areas of Growth
Workforce upskilling is required to unlock the full potential of generative AI
- Crucial skills and knowledge for individuals
- Generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI)
Crucial skills and knowledge for individuals
Proficiency in Gen AI has emerged as one of the most frequently cited essential skills for 2025, reflecting the growing interest among both employers and employees in understanding and utilising this technology.
Generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI)
Nearly 90% of Hong Kong C-suite executives declare they either already implemented AI or anticipate implementing it within the next three years. It is primarily being adopted in operations, marketing and branding, sales and risk-management related areas.
The report delves into the implications of AI integration for Hong Kong organisations, stressing the need for adequate training to harness the technology’s full potential.
Salary Table
A multi-sectoral salary outlook for a wide range of key professions
The salary table offers salary outlooks for a number of professions in key sectors of the Hong Kong economy.
To consult the salary table, please download the full report by clicking the link below.
Download Report:
Hong Kong Employment Outlook
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About KPMG
KPMG in China has offices located in 31 cities with over 14, 000 partners and staff, in Beijing, Changchun, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Dongguan, Foshan, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Hangzhou, Hefei, Jinan, Nanjing, Nantong, Ningbo, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Taiyuan, Tianjin, Wuhan, Wuxi, Xiamen, Xi'an, Zhengzhou, Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR. It started operations in Hong Kong in 1945. In 1992, KPMG became the first international accounting network to be granted a joint venture licence in the Chinese Mainland. In 2012, KPMG became the first among the “Big Four” in the Chinese Mainland to convert from a joint venture to a special general partnership.
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Celebrating 80 years in Hong Kong
In 2025, KPMG marks “80 Years of Trust” in Hong Kong. Established in 1945, we were the first international accounting organisation to set up operations in the city. Over the past eight decades, we’ve woven ourselves into the fabric of Hong Kong, working closely with the government, regulators, and the business community to help establish Hong Kong as one of the world’s leading business and financial centres. This close collaboration has enabled us to build lasting trust with our clients and the local community – a core value celebrated in our anniversary theme: “80 Years of Trust”.
