Navigating Career Opportunities for Young People

Hong Kong has attracted a variety of business enterprises because of its status of an international financial centre and commercial hub. In recent years, the number of mainland Chinese enterprises has surged. What opportunities and challenges does this bring for youth?

The number of enterprises in Hong Kong with parent companies in mainland China jumped from 805 in 2011 to 1,986 in 2020. The proportion of the total by country represented also increased during that period, from 11.6% to 22.0%, becoming the highest of all countries in the business community.1

According to The Hong Kong Chinese Enterprises Association, mainland Chinese enterprises employed over 90,000 people in 2017.2 The various industries they represented brought many job opportunities and hiring by mainland Chinese enterprises has expanded aggressively. However, some companies may fail to attract enough qualified staff because of cross-cultural problems and possible misunderstanding among young people,3 thereby limiting their career choices.

Key points from respondents

● Main factors in job hunting:

§ Salary / benefits: 72.5%

§ Promotion opportunities / development prospects: 39.6%

§ Job nature / personal interests: 33.1%

● Main factors when choosing companies:

§ Business nature: 59.8%

§ Company size: 36.9%

§ Company policy: 32.3%

● 70.0% say company background is not an important factor in job hunting

● 56.9% are willing to join mainland Chinese enterprises. Main factors:

§ high salary: 37.5%

§ stable job: 34.1%

● 25.6% are unwilling to join mainland Chinese enterprises. Main factors:

§ not accustomed to mainland Chinese culture: 60.2%

§ company policy not transparent: 38.3%

In-depth interviews showed that mainland Chinese enterprises can provide a broad range of work experience and, naturally, more mainland-related opportunities. However, some young employees thought that promotion prospects for Hong Kong staff were worse than for mainland staff. Human resources managers said comparative prospects might relate to the increasing competitiveness of mainland staff. Young employees, on the other hand, generally thought that job training in these companies was poor and adaptation to corporate culture was problematic, thus possibly discouraging them from staying.

William Du, group deputy convenor and Carman Lam, group member “In view of the increasing job opportunities in Chinese enterprises, certain measures could be taken to facilitate better use of youth talent, broaden their career choices and improve operational efficiency. First, both parties could benefit if the cultural gap could be narrowed. Second, new trainee programmes with job rotation in Chinese enterprises could be considered. Third, traditional enterprises could improve flexible work arrangements and set up mechanisms for staff feedback collection and response.

Tony Lau and Issac Poon, group members “Hong Kong culture is a mix of East and West and has a unique attraction for business. Hong Kong’s young people should maintain their unique competitiveness by broadening their international horizons and enhancing their cultural understanding of both East and West. Those who wish to explore different career development opportunities should find ways to understand different enterprises and choose one that suits them.”

Report No.62 HKFYG Youth I.D.E.A.S.

Employment and Economic Development group

Published title Navigating Career Opportunities for Young People

Respondents 520 employees aged 18-34 were polled. 20 of these respondents who had worked/are working in Chinese enterprises were also interviewed.

More details in Chinese yrc.hkfyg.org. hk/2021/08/02/yi062/

Enquiries Amy Yuen 3755 7037

1. censtatd.gov.hk/en/data/stat_report/product/B1110004/att/B11100042020AN20B0100.pdf

2. chinalegal.com.hk/a-list/14961-cht

3. michaelpage.com.hk/content/chinas-new-wave-hits-hong-kong/