Salary & Work-life Balance: Let’s examine the two biggest talent drivers in Hong Kong

When it comes to choosing a career, candidates have clear preferences that guide their decisions. Our new interactive data tool: Talent Attraction Lab has collected data and insights from over 33,000 of local candidates across Asia Pacific to give you a comprehensive picture of what they want in their careers. Here’s a sneak peek at the top drivers of talent in Hong Kong:    

In Hong Kong, salary and compensation are the top priorities for candidates, with key sub-drivers including base salary or salary range, the frequency of salary reviews, and how salaries compare to market rates.  

Financial compensation for overtime is particularly attractive to Gen-Z and junior-level talent, as well as candidates earning less than HKD17,000 per month, ranking second in importance for these groups.  

Additionally, insurance coverage is highly valued by Gen-Z, Gen-X, and candidates earning less than HKD11,000 per month, often even more than having salaries benchmarked against market rates.

Work-life balance is the second most important factor, with sub-drivers such as time in lieu (compensation for overtime or working on public holidays such as Replacement leave, set number of hours off), regular daytime working hours, and additional leave.  

Flexibility to cash out annual leave or take unpaid leave is especially valued by Gen X, Baby Boomers, junior-level talent, as well as candidates earning less than HKD30,000 per month.   

Meanwhile, Gen-Z, Gen-Y, mid to senior-level talent, as well as candidates earning more than HKD30,000 per month place high importance on the option to work from home or remotely. 

Salary / compensation, along with work-life balance, are critical factors for candidates in Hong Kong. Understanding these preferences can help employers tailor their offerings to attract, develop and retain top talent. 

But these are just two of the many various drivers of talent in Hong Kong. To learn and understand more about how you can enhance your recruitment, development and retention strategy to meet the myriad needs of today's jobseekers in your industry across Hong Kong or Asia Pacific, visit Talent Attraction Lab now.