55% plunge in new hires as Hong Kong graduates face gloomiest job outlook in 5 years

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by William YiuFebruary 2, 2026 at 01:30 AM

AI Summary

short article 1 min

Hong Kong university graduates are facing the toughest job market since 2021, with a significant decrease in available positions. In 2025, job vacancies have plummeted by 55% compared to the previous year, reaching a five-year low of 30,798, according to the Joint Institution Job Information System. This decline surpasses even the pandemic-affected year of 2021. The trend has been downward since 2024, with a 22% drop from 2023. Simultaneously, salary growth for new graduates has stagnated, with the average monthly salary increasing by a mere 0.5% to HK$20,961 in 2025. Experts attribute this downturn to factors like the rise of artificial intelligence and an uncertain economic climate, which discourage investment in entry-level positions.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Covid-19 pandemic 60% Joint Institution Job Information System 70% Hong Kong ×290%

Keywords

job market 90% new hires 80% university graduates 70% employment outlook 70% salary growth 60% economic outlook 50% artificial intelligence 50% job vacancies 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.70

Source Transparency

Source

South China Morning Post

Political Lean

Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Hong Kong

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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job market new hires university graduates employment outlook salary growth economic outlook artificial intelligence job vacancies

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