Hong Kong is widely accepted as the most expensive city in the world to live. (Photo : Getty Images)
The latest Robert Walters Global Survey Summary reported that the demand for Information Technology professionals remains buoyant and competition among employers to recruit the experience with the Internet, digital, e-commerce, and online marking operation skills is intense.
Robert Walters is a specialist professional recruitment consultancy and focuses on placing professionals into permanent, contract and temporary positions at all levels of seniority.
The annual Global Survey indicated that there is a broad positive employment outlook that is brought by the Chinese government's transition to a world-leading high-tech economy as well as the accelerated hiring intentions for technology and e-commerce talent.
Matthew Bennet, the managing director of Robert Walters Greater China, said: "It is anticipated that in 2017, with the growth of e-commerce and fintech, China will become more innovation-driven and technologically developed. Demand for professionals will continue to be the key area for employment."
He added: "Also, bilingual professionals with strong communication skills and commercial acumen will be the strategic focus in hiring in 2017, particularity with multinational corporations and local conglomerates."
The report also indicated that salary increments of 30 percent or more were no longer evident in 2016, with the increases stabilized to an average 5 percent to 7 percent for those staying in their current jobs and 10 to 15 percent for job movers.
It is forecasted that the trend will continue in 2017, with the exception of a few high-performing sectors such as software, risk and compliance and the sales industry. These are the industries wherein job movers are expected to enjoy increments up to 15 percent to 20 percent.
Workers in e-commerce and digital professions are expected to have higher salaries in 2017 due to the shortage of candidates and competition.
The hiring pace will also be upbeat for finance talent, especially for the mid-range financial professionals in today's rapid growing sectors such as healthcare and the high-tech industry.
Job-hopping also will tend to be more common among professionals in different sectors such as banks, financial institutions, online-banking and peer-to-peer lenders.
