The talent-short market in Hong Kong is driving businesses to favour technical knowhow over emotional aptitude in candidates. This is one of the key findings in the Hays Asia Salary Guide 2019, a report that highlights salary and recruiting trends based on survey responses from Hays Asia operating markets Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore.
We asked respondents the skills most sought-after by their organisation. Overall, three in five (61 per cent) employers are more inclined to hire candidates with hard skills over soft skills, revealing that project management (voted by 53 per cent), statistical analysis and data mining (voted by 52 per cent), and computer skills (voted by 30 per cent), were the top teachable or technical skills in demand, in that order.
By contrast, employers in Hong Kong are generally least interested in skills such as web architecture and development framework (voted by eight per cent), coding ability (voted by ten per cent) and UX or UI design (voted by 12 per cent).
In terms of soft skills, problem solving (voted by 74 per cent), team working (voted by 73 per cent), and verbal communication (voted by 72 per cent) were most coveted by businesses.
On the other hand, the psychological and emotional competencies that are at the bottom of employers’ priority lists were written communication (voted by six per cent), negotiation (voted by 26 per cent) and resilience (voted by 34 per cent).
Compared to Asia
Across Asia, three in five (59 per cent) employers deem hard skills more desirable in candidates than soft skills. This is most apparent in Singapore with 65 per cent who say the same. However, respondents in Mainland China placed the least emphasis on hard skills while placing equal importance on soft skills.
The hard skills favoured by employers Asia-wide are project management (voted by 55 per cent), statistical analysis and data mining (voted by 59 per cent), and foreign language fluency (voted by 34 per cent).
When it comes to soft skills, employers in Asia deem problem solving as the most sought-after competency (voted by 75 per cent), followed by team working (voted by 70 per cent) and verbal communication (voted by 63 per cent).
Commenting on the findings, Dean Stallard, Managing Director at Hays Greater Bay Area says: “As industries and roles evolve and expand, the skills in demand are ever-changing. Businesses in Hong Kong have been redefining the technical competencies required to grow and prosper.
With that in mind, candidates can benefit from staying abreast of industry developments and constantly upskill, or even reskill if needed, to maintain their competitiveness and therefore leverage in the employment market.
As for employers, soft skills should continue to be a relevant and important aspect when considering a new hire, as these skills are surely needed to complement even the deepest of knowledge and widest breadths of experience in order for both individuals and businesses to succeed.”
Get your copy of the 2019 Hays Asia Salary Guide by visiting www.hays.com.hk/salary-guide or by contacting your local Hays office.
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About Hays
Hays plc (the "Group") is a leading global professional recruiting group and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. 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 2018 the Group employed 10,978 staff operating from 257 offices in 34 markets across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2018:
– the Group reported net fees of £1.072 billion and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £243.4 million;
– the Group placed around 77,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 244,000 people into temporary assignments;
– 19% of Group net fees were generated in Australia & New Zealand, 26% in Germany, 24% in United Kingdom & Ireland and 31% in Rest of World (RoW);
– the temporary placement business represented 58% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 42% of net fees;
– Hays operates in the following markets: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mainland China, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA