2026年任仕达香港雇主品牌研究报告

2026randstademployerbrandresearch.

hongkongSARreport.

content.

03aboutrandstademployerbrandresearch.

06whatmatterstotalentinhongkongSAR.

11attributesofanidealemployer.

15strategicdeepdiveintocoretalentdrivers.

19whatwork-lifebalancereallymeanstotalent.

22whatmadeemployeesswitchjobs.

26AIpowersthesearch,humanconnectionclosesthedeal.

34appendix

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR2

aboutrandstad

employerbrandresearch.

3

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

randstademployerbrand2026edition.

CommissionedbyRandstadandconductedbyKantar,the

RandstadEmployerBrandResearchisanindependentand

mostrepresentativeandinclusiveemployerbrandresearchintheworldwithmorethan166,000respondentsand4,300

companiessurveyedworldwide.

Itistheonlystudythatcapturestheworkforcesentimentstowardskeyemployeevaluepropositionfactorsfrom

employeesandjobseekersbetweentheages18and64.

Since2013,wehaveconductedthesurveyeveryyearto

tracktrendsinemployees'motivationsandattractivenessoftheemployerbrand.

Thein-depthsurveyresultsandfindingsgiveanoverviewofthetrendinginsightsthatcanhelpshapeandstrengthen

yourcompany'semployerbrandstrategy.

researchconductedby:

research

argentinaaustralia

austriabelgiumbrazil

canadadenmark

chile

chinesemainlandczechrepublic

france

germany

greece

hongkongSAR

hungaryindia

italy

japan

luxembourgmalaysia

mexico

thenetherlandsnewzealand

norwaypoland

portugalromaniasingapore

spainsweden

switzerland

unitedkingdom

unitedstatesuruguay

4

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

5

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

randstademployerbrandresearch:hongkongSARedition.

2,500

respondentsinhongkongSAR

?53%d746%

*otheriscomprisedofallothergenderidentitiesandpeoplewhoprefernottoanswerthequestion

minutes

14

onlineinterviews

22

%

genZ

born1997-2012

24

%

genX

born1965-1980

51

%

millennials

born1981-1996

3

%

babyboomers

born1946-1964

fieldwork

●onlineinterviews●january2026

top10respondents’employmentfields

administrative,secretarial&HR15%

finance

10%

engineering&technology

9%

sales&marketing

8%

education&instruction

7%

customerservices

7%

construction

7%

healthcare

5%

transportation&logistics

5%

ICT

4%

whatmatterstotalentinhongkongSAR.

6

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

I7

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

keyfindings:

work-lifebalanceremainsthetoppriority,butcareerdriversvarybylifestage.

Careerandsecondarybenefitprioritiesdiffermarkedlyacrossgenerations,underpinnedbyanincreasingdemandforstability.GenZviewcompensationandwork-lifebalanceasequallycriticaldriversintheirearlycareers.Asprioritiesevolve,thedemandforstabilitygrowssignificantly:Millennialsheavilyweighjob

securitywhenchoosingemployers,whileGenXplaceimmensevalueonlong-termfinancialandretirementsecurityamongsecondarybenefits.

42

%

77

%

48

%

ofGenZsee

compensationand

work-lifebalanceasatopdriverinemployerchoice

ofmillennialscitejob

securityasastrong

driverinemployerchoice

ofGenXhighlyvalue

retirementandfinancialsecuritybenefitsamongsecondarybenefits

I8

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

keyfindings:

youngtalentvaluestangible,concretebenefitsmorethanjustgoodculture.

Work-lifebalanceisbasedontangible,structuralconditions,ratherthanjustculture.

Theprimarydriversarenowrootedinthegoodworkenvironment,reasonable

workload,andflexibleworkarrangements,complementedbyrobusthealthsupport

andgenerousleavepolicies.

However,Generationalprioritiesdiffer.GenZplaceauniquelystrongemphasison

personalgrowthandsupportiveleadership,whereasMillennialsandGenXfocusmoreonhealthandwellbeingsupport.

32

%

35

%

ofGenZdemandpersonalgrowthandfulfilmentasakeydriverofwork-life

balance,whichishigherthanamongolder

generations.

ofmillennialsandGenXdemandhealthand

wellbeingsupportasakeydriverofwork-lifebalance

9

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

keyfindings:

fewerpeopleareactuallychangingjobscomparedtolast2years.

Whilefewerpeopleareactuallymovingjobscomparedtolast2years,thedesiretoswitchremainshigh.Failingtomeetemployees'coreprioritiesdirectlydrivesstaff

turnoverandhampersrecruitment.

Keytriggersincludelowpay,poorwork-lifebalance,

limitedcareergrowth,poor(relationwith)management,andunfavourableworkplaceenvironments.

24%23%

21%

202420252026

changedjobswithinthefirst6months

38%

oftalentcitetoolowcompensationastheprimaryreasonforleavinganemployer.

10

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

keyfindings:

navigatingtalentmobilityandthefutureofhiring.

humanengagementanchorsthedigitalfutureoftalentacquisition.

Thehiringmarketreliesonmulti-channel

sourcing,yetitremainsfundamentallybuiltonrelationships.

Digitalplatformsandjobboardsprovidebroadreach,buthumanconnections,suchas

recruitmentagencies,areirreplaceable.Weseethisclearlywithyoungergenerations:GenZandMillennialsuseAIasasearchtool,buteventhemosttech-savvyGenZtalentstillprefera

face-to-faceconversationwhenitcounts.Tohireeffectivelyin2026,thestrategyhastobe

hybrid,usingAIfortheoutreach,butuserealhumanengagementtosecurethetalent.

37

%

oftalentutiliserecruitmentagenciesasavitalbridgeintheirjobsearch,rankingsecondonlytojobboards.

68

%

ofGenZviewin-personcontactas

criticallyimportantduringthe

applicationphase,outpacingallothergenerations.

attributesof

anidealemployer.

11

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

12

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

work-lifebalanceremainstheleadingEVPdriverfortalentin2026.

Work-lifebalanceisnolongerjustalifestylechoiceinHongKong,butitsimportancehasactivelysurged.Facedwithachallenging

macroeconomicenvironmentandfewerjobsavailable,peoplearestayingputtoprotecttheirsecurity.Atthesametime,companiesareincreasinglyleaningondigitaltoolsandautomationtodriveefficiency,whichoftenleadstoleanerinternalteams.Thisleavesthe

remainingstafftohandleheavierworkloadanddomorewithless.Theresultingpressureiscausingwidespreadburnout,turningwork-lifebalancefroma'nice-to-have'perkintoanecessity.

2025

1work-lifebalance50%

2

salary&benefits

49%

3

financiallyhealthy

42%

4

jobsecurity

40%

5equity35%

2024

1salary&benefits47%

2

work-lifebalance

46%

3

financiallyhealthy

39%

4

jobsecurity

38%

5equity33%

2026

1work-lifebalance56%

2

salary&benefits

52%

3

jobsecurity

43%

4

careerprogression

39%

5pleasantworkatmosphere38%

I13

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

generationaldifferencesinwhatemployeesseekinanidealemployer.

Whilefairpayandagoodwork-lifebalancearethebaselineforeveryone,theirsecondaryprioritiesshiftwithage.

-GenZplacesauniquepremiumonapositive,engagingworkplaceculturetohelpthemthriveastheystarttheircareers.

-Incontrast,forMillennialsandGenX,stabilitytakesoverastheyprioritisejobsecuritywhenchoosingemployer.

genz

millennials

genx

(born1997-2012)

(born1981-1996)

(born1965-1980)

148%

157%

159%

goodwork-lifebalance

goodwork-lifebalance

goodwork-lifebalance

competitivesalaryandbenefits

2

48%

competitivesalaryandbenefits

2

50%

competitivesalaryandbenefits

2

58%

pleasantworkatmosphere

3

39%

3j

EQ\*jc3\*hps34\o\al(\s\up6(4),ob)

rity

3j

EQ\*jc3\*hps34\o\al(\s\up6(4),ob)

rity

4c

EQ\*jc3\*hps34\o\al(\s\up11(%),rprogression)

opportunities

4c

EQ\*jc3\*hps34\o\al(\s\up11(%),rprogression)

opportunities

4p

EQ\*jc3\*hps34\o\al(\s\up10(3),le)

EQ\*jc3\*hps34\o\al(\s\up10(%),ant)

workatmosphere

5j

EQ\*jc3\*hps34\o\al(\s\up8(3),ob)

rity

5p

EQ\*jc3\*hps34\o\al(\s\up10(3),le)

EQ\*jc3\*hps34\o\al(\s\up10(%),ant)

workatmosphere

5c

EQ\*jc3\*hps34\o\al(\s\up11(%),rprogression)

opportunities

work-lifebalance&attractivesalaryandbenefits2unmettalentexpectations.

evaluationofcurrentemployerprofileofidealemployer

1.

jobsecurity

1.work-lifebalance

2.easyaccesstowork

2.salary&benefits

3.work-lifebalance

3.

jobsecurity

4.equalopportunities

4.careerprogression

5.verygoodreputation

5.pleasantworkatmosphere

6.pleasantworkatmosphere

6.equalopportunities

7.salary&benefits

7.strongmanagement/leadership

8.careerprogression

8.verygoodreputation

9.strongmanagement/leadership

9.easyaccesstowork

10.benefitstheenvironmentandsociety

10.interestingjobcontent

11.interestingjobcontent

11.benefitstheenvironmentandsociety

12.state-of-the-arttechnology12.state-of-the-arttechnology

Q.Howwouldyourateyourownemployeroneachoftheattributesbelow,onascalefrom1(notatalltrue)to5(completelytrue)?

Q.Thinkingaboutyouridealemployer,pleasepickthoseelementsthatthisorganisationshouldmostdefinitelyhave.

Employersarenavigatingacomplexlandscapethisyear,asonlytwoofthetopfivethingstalent

actuallywantsarebeingsuccessfullydelivered.

Currently,'jobsecurity'isthemarket’sgreateststrength,and'work-lifebalance'isperformingreasonablywellasoneofthetop3EVP.

However,“salaryandbenefits”ranksthesecondinwhattalentarelookingforinanemployer,butitcontinuestoshowthegreatestgapbetween

employeeexpectationsandperceivedreality,rankingasthe#2prioritybutonly#7inactualperformance.

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR14

strategicdeepdiveintocoretalent

drivers.

15

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

I16

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

Q.Whatarethetopthreefactorsthatmostsignificantlycontributetoastrongsenseofjobsecurity?

reliablepay&benefits

contributetoastrongsenseofjobsecurity.

Whenwelookatwhat'jobsecurity'actuallymeanstotalentinHongKong,reliablepayandbenefitsemergeasthedominantdriverof

perceivedjobsecurity(66%),faroutpacingotherfactors.

Beyondpayandbenefits,thesecondpillarisbuiltonthecompany'sownfinancialhealthandstability.Afterthat,employeeslookforfairtreatment,recognition,andhonestcommunication.

Inashiftingeconomy,peoplearemovingawayfrompromisesand

lookingfor'concretemarkers'.Theywanttoknowtheirpayis

dependable,theircompanyisresilient,andthemanagementis

transparent.Essentially,trustisbuiltontangibleresults,notjustwords.

theelementsthatmostsignificantlycontributetoastrongsenseofjobsecurity

reliablepayandbenefits

66%

organisationalandfinancialstability

48%

performancerecognitionandcareercontinuity

41%

fairandconsistentemploymentpractices

40%

transparentandtrustworthycommunication

40%

learning,developmentandemployability

37%

strongcompanyculture

27%

17

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

Q.Whatarethetopthreefactorsthatmostsignificantlycontributetoastrongsenseofjobsecurity?

howdifferentgenerationsseejobsecurity.

Whilereliablepayandorganisationalstabilityformauniversalbaselineofsecurityacrossallgenerations,theirthirdprioritiessharplydivergebylifestage.GenZlookstothefutureandseekssecuritythroughlearningandemployability(44%).Millennialsprioritise

performancerecognitionandcareercontinuity(42%),whilegenXdemandsfairandconsistentworkplacepractices(41%).Foremployers,thisindicatethatoncethefinancialbasicsaremet,“security”mustbetailoredtothegeneration.

theelementsthatmostsignificantlycontributetoastrongsenseofjobsecuritybygeneration

millennials

reliablepayandbenefits

organisationalandfinancialstability

performancerecognitionandcareercontinuity

42%

46%

66%

genX

reliablepayandbenefits

organisationalandfinancialstability

fairandconsistent

employmentpractices

41%

68%

55%

genZ

reliablepayandbenefits

organisationalandfinancialstability

learning,developmentandemployability

46%

44%

63%

18

Q.Pleaseratetheimportanceofthefollowingsecondarybenefitstoyou.

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

hongkongerssetauniformlyhighbaselineforsecondarybenefits.

Forsecondarybenefits,hongkongGenZandMillennialstalentstillvalueswork-lifebalancerelatedbenefits,suchastimeoff,flexiblework

arrangementsandconvenientworkplacetobemoreimportantthanfinancialsecurityorculture.ForGenX,thisisslightlydifferent.It'swork-lifebalancerelatedbenefitsandfinancialsecuritybenefitsasequallyimportantat77%.

therelativeimportanceofsecondarybenefitsbygeneration

genZ

millennials

genX

leaveandtimeoffbenefits

76%

leaveandtimeoffbenefits

77%

leaveandtimeoffbenefits

77%

careeranddevelopmentbenefits

74%

flexibleworkandlifestylebenefits

75%

workplacecomfortandconvenience

77%

flexibleworkandlifestylebenefits

74%

workplacecomfortandconvenience

74%

workplacecomfortandconvenience

74%

retirementandfinancialsecuritybenefits

77%

19

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

whatwork-lifebalancereallymeanstotalent.

I20

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

Q.Whatarethetopthreeelementsthatmostsignificantlyenhanceahealthywork-lifebalance?

elementsthatstrengthenwork-lifebalance.

talentprioritisespracticalworkenvironmentsandadequaterecoveryoversofterculturalelements.

theelementsthatmostsignificantlyenhanceahealthywork-lifebalance

44%

reasonableworkloadandexpectations

42%

flexibleworkarrangements

48%

goodworkenvironment

healthandwellbeingsupporttimeoffandrecovery

easyaccesstowork(physicallyordigitally) personalgrowthandfulfillment socialandfamilysupportsupportiveleadershipandculture

33%

31%

28%

26%

26%

23%

InHongKong,work-lifebalanceisn'tafeeling.It’sasetoftangibleconditions.Thedatashowsthat

balanceisdrivenbyagoodworkenvironment,reasonableworkloads,andflexiblearrangements.

Healthsupport(33%),timeoff(31%),andeasyaccesstowork(28%)alsorankhigh,while“soft”

factorslikesupportiveleadershipandculturetrailsfarbehind.

Thisconfirmsthatwork-lifebalanceisnotaculturalafterthoughtforHongkongers.Itrequiresconcrete

workplacestandards,standardworkload

managementdiscipline,andflexiblepoliciestodelivermeaningfulresults.

21

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

Q.Whatarethetopthreeelementsthatmostsignificantlyenhanceahealthywork-lifebalance?

“work-lifebalance”definitionisdifferentacrossgenerations.

Asorganisationalchangesandautomationincreaseindividualresponsibilities,work-lifebalanceisnolongeraboutperks,itisaboutmanagingthedailyworkload.Apositiveworkenvironmentisauniversalpriorityastalentseekstoavoidburnout.

However,generationalapproachestomanagingthiswork-lifebalancediffer.

●GenZprioritisesflexibleworkarrangementstohandlethesedemandsontheirownterms.

●MillennialsandGenXfocusdirectlyonworkloadandplaceastrongeremphasisonreasonableworkloadstoestablishclearboundariesinademandingmarket.

elementsthatmostsignificantlyenhancework-lifebalancebygeneration

genX

goodworkenvironment50%reasonableworkloadandexpectations45%flexibleworkarrangements44%healthandwellbeingsupport35%timeoffandrecovery32%

millennials

goodworkenvironment47%reasonableworkloadandexpectations44%flexibleworkarrangements41%healthandwellbeingsupport35%timeoffandrecovery31%

genZ

goodworkenvironment

46%

flexibleworkarrangements

42%

reasonableworkloadandexpectations

41%

personalgrowthandfulfilment

32%

timeoffandrecovery

30%

easyaccesstowork(physicallyordigitally)

30%

22

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

whatmadetalentswitchjobs.

theriseof"jobhugging":marketcautionstallsactualmovement.

InHongKong,thedesiretochangejobscontinuestooutpaceactualmovement,thoughbothmetricshavedeclinedsince2025.Thisgaprevealsatrendof"jobhugging"whereemployeesstayputoutofnecessityratherthangenuineengagement.

Facingachallengingmacroeconomicenvironmentandorganisationalchanges,talentisincreasinglychoosingsecurityovermobility,anchoredtocurrentrolesbyexternalmarketrisks.

havechangedemployersinthelast6monthsof2025

33%

31%

30%

30%

31%

24%

23%21%

24%22%

21%16%

30%

21%

isplanningtochangejobswithinthefirst6monthsof2026

havechangedemployerinthelast6monthsof2025

planningtochangechanged

Q.Didyou

Q.Doyouplantochangejobswithinthenext6months?

I23

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

changejobsinthelast6months?

I24

Q.Forwhatreasonsdidyouorwouldyoudecidetoleaveyouremployer?

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

thetriggersofattrition:whytalentleaves.

HongKongtalentleaveanemployerbecauseoflowcompensation,work-lifebalanceconcernsandlimitedcareergrowth.

When"jobhugging"ends,thedecisiontoresignisdrivenbythreeclearcatalysts:

●WorkloadandValue:Theneedtoimprove

work-lifebalanceistheleadingtrigger,

followedcloselybycompensationthatfailstomatchincreasedresponsibilities.

●Future-Proofing:Alackofgrowth

opportunitiesforcestalenttolookelsewhere.Similarly,whenorganisationalchangesloom,somechoosetomoveproactivelyratherthanriskinstability.

●LeadershipandEnvironment:Management

remainsthefinalbreakingpoint.Ifleadershipfailstosupportteamsthroughdemanding

periods,passiveloyaltyquicklytransformsintoactiveattrition.

reasonsforleaving

toimprovework-lifebalancetoolowcompensation

lackofcareergrowthopportunitiespoor(relationwith)managementnegativeworkenvironment

lackofinterestinjob fearoflosingjobnotequallyrewardedpoorreputation

workisnoteasilyaccessible

lackofinvestmentintechnologyandinnovation

noenvironmentalorsocialcontribution

I25

Q.Forwhatreasonsdidyouorwouldyoudecidetoleaveyouremployer?

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

financialrewardsandwork-lifebalancearetheprimaryturnovercatalystsacrossgenerations.

GenXismostsensitivetocompensationgaps,whilstMillennialsprioritisework-lifebalance.

reasonsforleavingbygeneration

genZ

millennials

genX

toimprovework-lifebalance

35%

toimprovework-lifebalance

41%

toolowcompensation

40%

toolowcompensation

34%

toolowcompensation

37%

toimprovework-lifebalance

37%

lackofcareer

31%

lackofcareer

32%

negativeworkenvironment

30%

growthopportunities

growthopportunities

26

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

AIpowersthe

search,human

connectionclosesthedeal.

beyonddigitalvolume,human-ledchannelsremainthedecisivefactoralongsideemergingAI.

DespitetheriseofAI,the'humantouch'remainsthegoldstandardforjobseekers.Talentstillheavily

favoursrecruitmentagenciesandpersonalnetworksoverautomatedplatforms.

I27

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

lookingforajobfoundajob

55%

44%

37%

22%

32%

25%

27%

18%

22%

19%

22%

18%

22%

17%

21%

18%

21%

19%

8%

5%

sourcesforjobopportunities

jobboardsorjobsearchenginesrecruitmentagenciesgoogle(forjobs)

linkedin

publicemploymentservices(PES)companycareerwebsitesocialmedia

jobfairs

personalconnections/referrals

AIapplication(eg.gemini,chatgpt,copilot)

youngertalentdrivestheadoptionofAIasajobsearchchannel.

genZleadstheexplorationofAItools,yetfinaljobsuccessacrossallgenerationscontinuestorelyonhuman-ledconnectionsandtrust.

AIapplicationforjobopportunitiesbygeneration

genZ

12%

7%

lookingforajobfoundajob

millennials

7%

6%

lookingforajobfoundajob

genX

lookingforajobfoundajob

4%

2%

whichofthefollowingjobsearchchannelshaveusedtolookforjob?

AIactsasadigitalfacilitatorratherthanareplacementforhumanjudgement.evenfordigital-firstgenerations,thedepthofhumanrelationshipsremainstheindispensablecloserinthetalentacquisitionjourney.

I28

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

Q.Throughyoua

Q.Throughwhichofthefollowingjobsearchchannelsdidyoufindajob?

29

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR

Q.Howimportantisittoconnectwithapersonduringyourjobsearch?-whenexploringnewjobs&whenapplyingforjobs

humanconnectionremainsthenon-negotiableanchorinthehiringprocess.

Thoughhighlydigitallysavvy,GenZdemandsthehighestlevelofin-personinteractioninthejobsearch.

Automated,AI-drivenrecruitmentsimplycannotprovidethedeeppersonalisationtheyrequire.

Fortheseyoungertalent,directhumanconnectionisanon-negotiablerequirement.Theyrelyonface-to-faceinteractionforpsychologicalreassurance,toverifygenuinecareergrowth,andtoevaluateworkplaceculturefirsthandbeforeacceptinganoffer.

importanceofin-personcontact

genZmillennialsgenX

whenexploringforjobswhenapplyingforjobs

56%

60%

58%

62%

63%

68%

aboutemployerbrandresearch.

RandstadEmployerBrandResearch2026explorestheviewsofworkingpeopleinEurope,Asia-Pacific,LatinandNorth

America.Datawascollectedfromover166,000respondentsinArgentina,Australia,Austria,Belgium,Brazil,Canada,

Denmark,Chile,ChineseMainland,CzechRepublic,France,

Germany,Greece,HongKongSAR,Hungary,India,Italy,

Japan,Luxembourg,Malaysia,Mexico,TheNetherlands,NewZealand,Norway,Poland,Portugal,Romania,Singapore,

Spain,Sweden,Switzerland,UnitedKingdom,UnitedStatesandUruguayinJanuary2026.

Forthisresearch,RandstadpartneredwithKantar,aglobalresearchandanalysisfirm.RandstadHongKonghas

participatedintheEmployerBrandResearchsince2013.

Youcanexploremoreemployerbrandinginsightsand

year-on-yeartrendsonourRandstadHongKongwebsite.

hongkong@.hk+85222323408

LinkedIn

/company/randstad-hong-kong/

Facebook

/Randstad.HK

Instagram

/randstadhksar

in

f

employerbrandresearch2026–hongkongSAR30

aboutrandstad.

Randstadistheworld’sleadingtalentcompanywiththevisiontobe

theworld’smostequitableandspecialisedtalentcompany.Weareapartnerofchoicefortalentandclients.Wehaveadeepunderstandingofthelabourmarketandthroughourfourspecialisations–

Operational,Professional,DigitalandEnterprise–helpourclients

createthehigh-quality,diverseandagileworkforcestheyneedto

succeed.Wearecommittedtoprovidingequitableopportunitiestopeoplefromallbackgroundsandhelpthemremainrelevantinthe

rapidlychangingworldofwork.Throughthevaluewecreate,wearecommittedtomakingtheworldofworkbetterforall.

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