Hong Kong’s retail sector is projecting a positive outlook this quarter which in turn, has created an uplift in recruitment activity, according to recruiting experts Hays.
The Hays Quarterly Report tracks recruitment trends in Hong Kong and reveals that over the April to June period, a range of quality roles are coming to market for retail professionals.
“At the end of last year many retail professionals were predicting a slump in turnover for 2017 and thus a shortage of quality opportunities coming to market, but in reality the sector is gaining strength,” says Dean Stallard, Regional Director for Hays in Hong Kong.
“The current market is stable and employers are creating a number of quality new positions, which will hopefully prevent experienced talent leaving the sector to join other industries they perceive to offer greater employment security,” says Dean.
“Certainly, e-commerce management roles should be plentiful this quarter,” he says. “Candidates should note that many companies are focused on increasing their market share regionally and looking to their e-commerce talent to help make this happen.”
Hiring the right digital marketing talent is also crucial to companies achieving regional success through greater brand awareness. As a result, Hays expects to see more opportunities for digital marketers in the retail sector over the quarter.
In the more traditional end of retail recruitment, we are seeing a number of frontline in-store roles coming to market and this is expected to continue throughout the quarter.
“For all roles, employers are placing greater importance on a candidate’s soft skills and will test accordingly during the recruitment process, so its important candidates are well prepared for interviews,” says Dean.
“Certainly, retail is becoming more sophisticated and in response, we are seeing a number of senior candidates undertaking a master’s degree in business management or completing more general management courses to boost their promotion prospects,” he says.
“Junior candidates are also taking on additional training in their own time. However, many are also moving jobs frequently to achieve career advancement and this could work against them as the recruitment market strengthens,” says Dean.
To read the full Hays Quarterly Report please visit http://www.hays.com.hk/report/index.htm
Hays is located in Hong Kong at 6604-06, 66/F, ICC, 1 Austin Road West, West Kowloon, Hong Kong.
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About Hays
Hays plc (the "Group") is a leading global professional recruiting group. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK and Asia Pacific and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe and Latin America. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As at 30 June 2016 the Group employed 9,214 staff operating from 252 offices in 33 countries across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2016:
– the Group reported net fees of £810.3 million and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £181 million;
– the Group placed around 67,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 220,000 people into temporary assignments;
– 22% of Group net fees were generated in Asia Pacific, 45% in Continental Europe & RoW (CERoW) and 33% in the United Kingdom & Ireland;
– the temporary placement business represented 58% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 42% of net fees;
– Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA.