Survey: IT vacancies among the hardest to fill in Hong Kong

By Computerworld Hong Kong staff | May 28, 2010

Recruitment agency Manpower Hong Kong said Thursday that IT vacancies are among the top 10 hardest to fill in Hong Kong.

 

The company recently released the results of its fifth Manpower Talent Shortage Survey that indicates that 44 percent of employers in Hong Kong reporting difficulty filling key positions within their organizations.

 

Hong Kong’s top three most difficult jobs to fill are sales representatives, engineer, and management / executive according to the survey of 434 employers in Hong Kong, Manpower noted.

 

Talent shortages in the Asia Pacific region are ten percent higher than the global average (31 percent), with 41 percent of the region’s employers having difficulty filling positions due to the lack of suitable talent available in their markets, said Manpower, adding that this represents a nine percentage point increase in comparison to the 2009 survey.

 

Globally, employers having the most difficulty finding the right people to fill jobs are those in Japan (76 percent), Brazil (64 percent), Argentina (53 percent), Singapore (53 percent), Poland (51 percent), Australia (45 percent), Hong Kong (44 percent), Mexico (43 percent), Peru (42 percent), Taiwan (41 percent), China (40 percent), and Panama (38 percent), according to survey results.

 

“We are seeing a ‘jobless’ recovery in many parts of the world, yet where there are jobs available employers are having difficulty filling positions," Lancy Chui, Managing Director of Manpower Hong Kong, Macau and Vietnam. "The issue is not about the number of potential candidates, but rather a talent mismatch, as there are not enough sufficiently skilled people in the right places at the right times."

 

Compounding the issue is the fact employers are seeking ever more specific skill sets and are less willing to engage in anticipatory hiring, said Chui, adding that this all adds up to a very challenging and frustrating time for employers and job seekers alike.