Meanwhile, the unemployment rate remained steady at 3.8%
Hong Kong's unemployment rate remained at 3.8% in the September to November period, according to the latest data from the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD).
"Movements in the unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) and underemployment rate in different industry sectors varied, but the magnitudes were generally not large," the C&SD said.
According to the data, the number of unemployed persons (not seasonally adjusted) fell by around 5,200 to reach 144,400 in the September to November period.
Underemployment also remained unchanged at 1.6%, with the number of underemployed people seeing a slight increase to 60,900 in the three-month period.
Total employment, however, dropped by around 2,800 to reach 3.66 million in the September to November period. The labour force also decreased to 3.81 million.
"The solid expansion of the Hong Kong economy and the improving consumer confidence should continue to render support to the overall labour market," said Labour and Welfare Secretary Chris Sun in a statement.
"Yet, the employment situations in some sectors may remain under pressure as their businesses face challenges."
'Conservative hiring pace' in 2026
The findings come as Hong Kong employers plan for a "positive but conservative hiring pace" in the first quarter of 2026, according to the latest ManpowerGroup report.
Nearly a third of employers (31%) plan to increase their staff between January and March, 36% are planning to keep staff levels unchanged, and 29% are anticipating headcount reductions.
According to the data, 66% of organisations in Hong Kong are struggling to find skilled talent. Among the top skills that employers struggle to find are:
- AI model and application development skills
- AI literacy skills
- Sales or marketing skills
- Manufacturing or production skills
- Engineering skills
To address this shortage, a quarter of employers (25%) said they are upskilling and reskilling current employees. Others are:
- Increasing contingent or temporary workforce (22%)
- Targeting new talent pools (21%)
- Offering more location flexibility (18%)
- Using automation or AI to reduce headcount needs (17%)
