ManpowerGroup Hong Kong announced the "Employment Outlook Survey" report for the fourth quarter of this year, the results show that the global net employment outlook index for the fourth quarter of 2024 is +25%, while Hong Kong's net employment outlook index for the last quarter is +8%, which is 17 percentage points lower than the global index, and Hong Kong employers expect to maintain a stable and conservative increase in staff in the fourth quarter.

Among the seven major industries, the employment outlook index of the communication media industry is the highest, recording a growth of 40%, followed by the information technology industry and the consumer goods and services industry, which recorded +28% and +35% respectively; the medical care and life science industry recorded an employment outlook index of -11%.

Additionally, the employment outlook index for the finance and real estate industry is 13%. Yvonne Hui, Senior Vice President of ManpowerGroup Greater China, stated that the insurance industry's total premium income in Hong Kong and the Mainland reached 273 billion yuan in the first half of the year, an increase of approximately 5.5%. The mainland's policy volume continues to maintain a good level. However, the real estate industry is affected by the decline in consumer confidence and high interest rates, and consumers' confidence in purchasing homes has weakened, posing certain pressure on the real estate market. Under the influence of many uncertain factors, the finance and real estate industries will maintain a cautious attitude.

The report surveyed 532 employers, among whom 39% plan to increase manpower in the next three months, 31% plan to reduce manpower, and 29% have no plans to adjust the current number of employees next quarter. (vc/k)

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