2026年任仕达香港雇主品牌研究报告

2026randstad

employer

brand

research.hongkong

SAR

report.03aboutrandstad

employer

brand

research.06whatmatterstotalent

in

hong

kong

SAR.11attributesofan

idealemployer.15strategicdeepdive

intocoretalent

drivers.19whatwork-lifebalance

really

meanstotalent.22whatmadeemployees

switchjobs.26AIpowersthesearch,human

connection

closesthe

deal.34

appendixcontent.employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SAR

2about

randstademployerbrand

research.employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SAR

3randstademployer

brand

2026edition.Commissionedby

Randstadandconductedby

Kantar,

theRandstad

Employer

Brand

Researchisanindependentandmostrepresentativeandinclusiveemployer

brand

research

intheworldwithmorethan

166,000respondents

and

4,300companiessurveyedworldwide.Itistheonlystudythatcapturesthe

workforce

sentimentstowardskeyemployeevaluepropositionfactors

fromemployeesandjobseekersbetweentheages

18and

64.Since2013,wehaveconductedthe

survey

everyyear

totracktrendsinemployees'motivationsandattractiveness

of

theemployer

brand.Thein-depthsurveyresultsand

findings

give

an

overview

ofthetrendinginsightsthatcanhelp

shape

and

strengthenyourcompany'semployerbrand

strategy.researchconducted

by:researchargentinaaustraliaaustriabelgiumbrazilcanadadenmarkchilechinesemainlandczech

republicfrancegermanygreecehong

kongSARthe

netherlands

newzealandnorwaypolandportugalromaniasingaporespainswedenswitzerlandunited

kingdomunitedstates

uruguayhungaryindiaitalyjapanluxembourgmalaysiamexicoemployer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SAR

4finance10%engineering&technology9%sales&

marketing8%education&instruction7%customerservices7%construction7%healthcare5%transportation&logistics5%ICT4%2,500respondents

inhong

kongSAR?

53%d746%*

otheriscomprisedofallother

gender

identities

andpeoplewhoprefernot

to

answer

the

question14online

interviews22%gen

Zborn

1997-

201224genXborn

1965-

198051%millennialsborn

1981-

19963baby

boomersborn

1946-

1964randstademployerbrandresearch:

hong

kongSAR

edition.top

10respondents’employmentfieldsadministrative,secretarial&HR15%fieldwork●

onlineinterviews

●january

2026employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SARminutes%%

5whatmattersto

talent

in

hong

kongSAR.employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SAR

6keyfindings:work-lifebalanceremains

the

top

priority,

butcareerdriversvary

by

lifestage.Careerandsecondarybenefitprioritiesdiffer

markedlyacrossgenerations,

underpinned

by

an

increasingdemandforstability.GenZviewcompensationandwork-lifebalance

as

equally

critical

drivers

intheir

earlycareers.Asprioritiesevolve,thedemandforstabilitygrowssignificantly:

Millennials

heavilyweighjobsecuritywhenchoosingemployers,whileGenXplaceimmensevalue

on

long-termfinancial

and

retirementsecurityamongsecondarybenefits.ofGenZ

seecompensationandwork-lifebalance

as

atop

driverin

employer

choiceofGenXhighlyvalueretirementandfinancialsecuritybenefits

amongsecondarybenefitsofmillennials

citejobsecurityasa

strongdriverin

employer

choiceemployer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SAR42%48%77%I

7keyfindings:youngtalentvaluestangible,concretebenefitsmorethanjust

good

culture.Work-lifebalanceis

based

on

tangible,structuralconditions,ratherthanjust

culture.Theprimarydriversare

now

rooted

inthegoodworkenvironment,reasonableworkload,andflexibleworkarrangements,complementedbyrobust

health

supportandgenerousleave

policies.However,Generationalprioritiesdiffer.

Gen

Zplacea

uniquelystrong

emphasis

onpersonalgrowthandsupportiveleadership,whereasMillennialsandGenX

focus

moreonhealthandwellbeing

support.ofGenZdemand

personalgrowthandfulfilmentas

akeydriverofwork-lifebalance,whichis

higherthanamongoldergenerations.ofmillennialsand

GenX

demandhealth

andwellbeingsupportasa

keydriverofwork-lifebalanceemployer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SAR35%32%I

8keyfindings:fewerpeopleareactuallychangingjobscomparedto

last

2years.24%

23%Whilefewerpeopleareactuallymovingjobscomparedto

last2years,thedesiretoswitch

remains

high.

Failingtomeetemployees'coreprioritiesdirectlydrives

staffturnoverandhampers

recruitment.Keytriggersincludelow

pay,

poorwork-life

balance,limitedcareergrowth,poor(relationwith)

management,andunfavourableworkplaceenvironments.38%2024

2025

2026changedjobswithinthefirst6monthsoftalentcitetoolowcompensationasthe

primary

reason

forleaving

an

employer.employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SAR21%

9humanengagementanchorsthedigitalfutureoftalentacquisition.Thehiringmarket

relies

on

multi-channelsourcing,yetitremainsfundamentally

built

on

relationships.Digitalplatformsandjobboards

provide

broad

reach,buthuman

connections,

such

asrecruitmentagencies,areirreplaceable.Weseethisclearlywithyoungergenerations:GenZandMillennialsuseAIasasearchtool,

but

even

themosttech-savvyGenZtalentstill

preferaface-to-faceconversationwhenitcounts.To

hire

effectivelyin2026,the

strategy

hasto

behybrid,usingAIfortheoutreach,

but

use

realhumanengagementtosecurethetalent.keyfindings:navigatingtalentmobilityandthefutureof

hiring.37%68%ofGenZviewin-personcontact

ascriticallyimportantduringtheapplicationphase,outpacingall

other

generations.oftalentutiliserecruitmentagenciesasavitalbridge

intheirjobsearch,rankingsecondonlytojobboards.employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SAR

10attributesofanideal

employer.employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SAR

11work-lifebalanceremainsthe

leading

EVPdriverfortalent

in2026.Work-lifebalanceisnolongerjusta

lifestyle

choice

in

Hong

Kong,

but

its

importance

has

actively

surged.

Faced

with

a

challengingmacroeconomicenvironmentandfewerjobsavailable,peoplearestayingput

to

protect

their

security.At

the

same

time,

companies

areincreasinglyleaningondigitaltoolsandautomationtodrive

efficiency,which

often

leads

to

leaner

internal

teams.This

leaves

theremainingstafftohandleheavierworkloadanddo

morewith

less.The

resulting

pressure

is

causingwidespread

burnout,

turning

work-life

balancefroma'nice-to-have'perk

into

a

necessity.2salary&

benefits52%3job

security43%4careerprogression39%2salary&

benefits49%3financiallyhealthy42%4job

security40%2work-life

balance46%3financiallyhealthy39%4job

security38%20261

work-lifebalance

56%20241

salary&benefits

47%5

pleasantworkatmosphere38%5

equity

35%1

work-lifebalance

50%5

equity

33%employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SAR202512gen

zmillennialsgenx(born

1997-2012)(born

1981-1996)(born

1965-1980)1

48%1

57%1

59%goodwork-life

balancegoodwork-life

balancegoodwork-life

balance48%50%58%39%3

j

rity3

j

rity4

c

opportunities4

c

opportunities4

p

work

atmosphere5

j

rity5

p

work

atmosphere5

c

opportunitiesr

progression%ant%le3ob3ant%le3r

progression%r

progression%ob4ob4generationaldifferencesinwhatemployeesseekinan

ideal

employer.Whilefairpayandagoodwork-lifebalancearethe

baselinefor

everyone,

their

secondary

priorities

shift

with

age.-GenZplacesauniquepremium

on

a

positive,

engagingworkplace

culture

to

help

them

thrive

as

they

start

their

careers.-Incontrast,forMillennialsandGenX,stabilitytakesover

asthey

prioritisejobsecurity

when

choosing

employer.employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SARcompetitivesalaryand

benefitscompetitivesalaryand

benefitscompetitivesalaryand

benefitspleasantworkatmosphere3222I

13Employersarenavigatingacomplex

landscapethisyear,asonlytwoofthetopfivethingstalentactuallywantsarebeingsuccessfully

delivered.Currently,'jobsecurity'is

the

market’s

greatest

strength,and'work-lifebalance'

is

performingreasonablywellasoneofthetop

3

EVP.However,“salaryandbenefits”ranksthesecond

in

whattalentarelookingfor

in

an

employer,

but

itcontinuestoshowthegreatestgap

betweenemployeeexpectationsandperceived

reality,

rankingasthe

#2priority

butonly

#7

in

actual

performance.employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SAR14work-lifebalance&attractivesalaryand

benefits

2unmettalentexpectations.Q.

Howwouldyourateyourownemployeroneach

oftheattributes

below,

on

a

scale

from

1

(not

at

all

true)

to

5

(completely

true)?Q.Thinkingaboutyouridealemployer,pleasepickthose

elements

that

this

organisation

should

most

definitely

have.evaluationofcurrentemployerprofileofideal

employer12.state-of-the-arttechnology

12.state-of-the-arttechnology10.benefitstheenvironment

and

society11.

benefitstheenvironmentandsociety9.

strongmanagement/leadership7.

strongmanagement/leadership6.pleasantworkatmosphere5.pleasant

work

atmosphere11.interestingjobcontent10.

interestingjobcontent5.

verygood

reputation2.

easyaccesstowork8.verygood

reputation4.

equalopportunities9.easy

accessto

work8.

careerprogression6.equal

opportunities4.

careerprogression3.

work-lifebalance7.

salary&

benefits1.

work-lifebalance2.

salary&

benefitsjob

securityjob

security3.1.strategicdeepdive

intocoretalentdrivers.employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SAR

15reliablepay

and

benefits66%organisationalandfinancialstability48%performancerecognitionandcareercontinuity41%fairandconsistentemployment

practices40%transparentandtrustworthycommunication40%learning,developmentandemployability37%strongcompanyculture27%reliablepay

&

benefitscontributetoastrong

senseof

job

security.Whenwelookatwhat'jobsecurity'actually

meanstotalent

in

HongKong,reliablepayandbenefits

emerge

asthe

dominant

driver

ofperceivedjobsecurity(66%),faroutpacingotherfactors.Beyondpayandbenefits,thesecond

pillar

is

builtonthe

company'sownfinancialhealthandstability.Afterthat,employeeslookforfairtreatment,recognition,andhonestcommunication.Inashiftingeconomy,peopleare

movingawayfrom

promises

andlookingfor'concretemarkers'.Theywanttoknowtheir

pay

isdependable,theircompanyisresilient,andthe

management

istransparent.Essentially,trustisbuiltontangible

results,

notjustwords.theelementsthatmostsignificantlycontribute

toastrongsenseof

job

securityQ.Whatarethetopthreefactorsthatmostsignificantlycontributeto

a

strong

sense

of

job

security?employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SARI

16howdifferentgenerationsseejobsecurity.Whilereliablepayandorganisationalstabilityforma

universal

baseline

ofsecurity

across

all

generations,their

third

priorities

sharply

divergebylifestage.GenZ

lookstothefuture

and

seeks

security

through

learning

and

employability

(44%).

Millennials

prioritiseperformancerecognitionandcareercontinuity(42%),whilegenX

demandsfair

and

consistent

workplace

practices

(41%).

Foremployers,thisindicatethatoncethefinancialbasicsare

met,“security”must

betailoredtothe

generation.theelementsthatmostsignificantlycontributetoastrong

senseof

job

security

by

generationgen

Zreliablepay

and

benefitsorganisationalandfinancialstabilitylearning,development

andemployabilitymillennialsreliablepay

and

benefitsorganisationalandfinancialstabilityperformancerecognitionand

careercontinuitygenXreliablepay

and

benefitsorganisationalandfinancialstabilityfairandconsistentemploymentpracticesQ.Whatarethetopthreefactorsthatmostsignificantlycontributeto

a

strong

sense

of

job

security?employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SAR46%44%42%46%41%63%66%68%55%

17gen

ZmillennialsgenXleaveandtimeoff

benefits76%leaveandtimeoff

benefits77%leaveandtimeoff

benefits77%careeranddevelopmentbenefits74%flexibleworkandlifestyle

benefits75%workplacecomfortandconvenience77%flexibleworkandlifestyle

benefits74%workplacecomfortandconvenience74%workplacecomfortandconvenience74%retirementandfinancialsecurity

benefits77%hongkongerssetauniformly

high

baselineforsecondary

benefits.Forsecondarybenefits,hongkongGenZ

and

Millennials

talent

stillvalues

work-life

balance

related

benefits,

such

as

time

off,

flexible

workarrangementsandconvenientworkplacetobemoreimportantthanfinancial

security

or

culture.

For

GenX,

this

is

slightly

different.

It's

work-lifebalancerelatedbenefitsandfinancialsecuritybenefitsas

equally

important

at

77%.therelativeimportanceofsecondary

benefits

bygenerationemployer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SARQ.

Pleaseratetheimportanceofthefollowingsecondary

benefitstoyou.

18whatwork-lifebalance

reallymeansto

talent.employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SAR

19healthandwellbeingsupport

timeoffand

recoveryeasyaccesstowork(physicallyordigitally)

personalgrowthandfulfillment

socialandfamilysupport

supportiveleadershipand

culture33%31%28%26%26%23%InHongKong,work-life

balance

isn't

afeeling.

It’s

asetoftangibleconditions.Thedatashowsthatbalanceisdrivenby

a

goodwork

environment,reasonableworkloads,andflexiblearrangements.Healthsupport(33%),timeoff(31%),and

easyaccesstowork(28%)alsorankhigh,

while“soft”factorslikesupportiveleadershipand

culturetrails

far

behind.Thisconfirmsthatwork-lifebalanceis

not

a

culturalafterthoughtforHongkongers.Itrequires

concreteworkplacestandards,standardworkloadmanagementdiscipline,andflexiblepoliciestodelivermeaningfulresults.elementsthatstrengthenwork-lifebalance.talentprioritisespracticalworkenvironmentsandadequaterecovery

over

softer

cultural

elements.48%goodworkenvironment44%reasonableworkloadand

expectations42%flexibleworkarrangementstheelementsthatmostsignificantlyenhancea

healthywork-life

balanceQ.Whatarethetopthreeelementsthatmostsignificantly

enhancea

healthy

work-life

balance?employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SARI20“work-lifebalance”definitionisdifferentacrossgenerations.Asorganisationalchangesandautomationincreaseindividual

responsibilities,work-life

balance

is

no

longer

about

perks,

it

is

aboutmanagingthedailyworkload.Apositiveworkenvironmentisa

universal

priorityastalent

seeks

to

avoid

burnout.However,generationalapproachestomanagingthiswork-lifebalancediffer.●GenZprioritisesflexibleworkarrangementstohandlethesedemandsontheir

ownterms.●MillennialsandGenXfocusdirectlyonworkloadand

placeastronger

emphasis

on

reasonable

workloads

to

establish

clear

boundaries

in

a

demanding

market.elementsthatmostsignificantlyenhancework-lifebalance

bygenerationgenXgood

work

environment

50%reasonable

workload

and

expectations

45%

flexible

work

arrangements

44%

health

and

wellbeing

support

35%

time

off

and

recovery

32%millennialsgood

work

environment

47%reasonable

workload

and

expectations

44%

flexible

work

arrangements

41%

health

and

wellbeing

support

35%

time

off

and

recovery

31%goodworkenvironment46%flexibleworkarrangements42%reasonableworkloadandexpectations41%personalgrowthandfulfilment32%timeoffand

recovery30%easyaccesstowork(physicallyordigitally)30%Q.Whatarethetopthreeelementsthatmostsignificantlyenhance

a

healthy

work-life

balance?employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SARgen

Z

21what

madetalent

switchjobs.employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SAR

22In

Hong

Kong,the

desire

to

change

jobs

continues

to

outpace

actual

movement,though

both

metrics

have

declined

since

2025.This

gap

reveals

atrendof"jobhugging"whereemployeesstayput

out

of

necessity

rather

than

genuine

engagement.Facingachallengingmacroeconomicenvironmentandorganisationalchanges,talent

is

increasingly

choosing

security

over

mobility,

anchoredto

current

rolesby

external

market

risks.theriseof"jobhugging":

marketcaution

stalls

actual

movement.isplanning

to

changejobswithinthefirst

6monthsof2026havechangedemployer

inthe

last6

months

of

202521%30% planningtochange

changedchangejobsinthelast

6

months?havechangedemployersinthe

last6

months

of

202521%

16%33%30%24%

22%Q.

DidyouQ.

Doyouplantochangejobswithinthenext

6

months?23%

21%employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SAR30%31%31%24%I23reasonsfor

leavingtoimprovework-life

balancetoolow

compensationlackofcareergrowthopportunitiespoor(relationwith)management negativeworkenvironmentlackofinterest

injob fearoflosingjob

notequally

rewarded

poor

reputationworkisnot

easily

accessiblelackofinvestmentintechnologyandinnovationnoenvironmentalorsocialcontributionthetriggersofattrition:whytalentleaves.Hong

Kongtalentleaveanemployerbecauseoflow

compensation,

work-life

balance

concerns

and

limited

career

growth.When"jobhugging"ends,the

decision

to

resign

is

drivenbythreeclear

catalysts:●Workload

and

Value:The

need

to

improvework-lifebalanceis

the

leading

trigger,followedcloselybycompensationthatfailsto

matchincreased

responsibilities.●

Future-Proofing:A

lack

of

growthopportunitiesforcestalenttolookelsewhere.

Similarly,whenorganisationalchangesloom,

somechoosetomove

proactively

ratherthan

riskinstability.●Leadership

and

Environment:

Managementremainsthefinalbreaking

point.If

leadership

failstosupportteamsthroughdemandingperiods,passiveloyalty

quicklytransforms

into

activeattrition.employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SARQ.

Forwhatreasonsdidyouorwouldyoudecideto

leaveyour

employer?I24gen

ZmillennialsgenXtoimprovework-life

balance35%toimprovework-life

balance41%toolow

compensation40%toolow

compensation34%toolow

compensation37%toimprovework-life

balance37%lackofcareer31%lackofcareer32%negativeworkenvironment30%growthopportunitiesgrowthopportunitiesfinancialrewardsandwork-lifebalance

arethe

primaryturnovercatalystsacrossgenerations.GenXismostsensitivetocompensationgaps,whilst

Millennials

prioritise

work-life

balance.reasonsforleaving

by

generationemployer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SARQ.

Forwhatreasonsdidyouorwouldyoudecideto

leaveyour

employer?I25AI

powersthesearch,

humanconnectioncloses

thedeal.employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SAR

26 lookingforajobfoundajob55%44%37%22%32%25%27%18%22%19%22%18%22%17%21%18%21%19%8%5%beyonddigitalvolume,human-ledchannelsremain

the

decisivefactoralongsideemergingAI.sourcesforjobopportunitiesjobboardsorjobsearchenginesrecruitmentagencies

google(forjobs)linkedinpublicemploymentservices(PES)companycareerwebsite

social

mediajob

fairspersonalconnections/referralsAIapplication(eg.gemini,chatgpt,copilot)DespitetheriseofAI,the

'humantouch'remainsthegold

standardfor

jobseekers.Talentstill

heavilyfavoursrecruitmentagencies

andpersonalnetworksoverautomatedplatforms.employer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SARI27youngertalentdrivestheadoptionofAIasajobsearchchannel.genZleadstheexplorationofAItools,yetfinaljobsuccessacrossallgenerations

continuesto

rely

onhuman-ledconnectionsandtrust.AIapplicationforjobopportunitiesbygenerationAIactsasadigitalfacilitatorratherthanareplacementfor

humanjudgement.evenfordigital-firstgenerations,thedepthofhumanrelationshipsremainstheindispensablecloserinthetalentacquisitionjourney.Q.ThroughyouaQ.Throughwhichofthefollowingjobsearchchannelsdidyoufindajob?genXlookingforajobfoundajobgen

Zlookingforajobfoundajobemployer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SARlookingforajobfoundajobwhichofthefollowingjobsearchchannelshaveusedto

lookforjob?millennials12%7%4%2%7%6%I28importanceofin-personcontactgenZ

millennialsgenXwhenexploringforjobswhenapplyingforjobshumanconnectionremainsthenon-negotiable

anchorinthe

hiring

process.Thoughhighlydigitallysavvy,GenZdemandsthe

highest

levelof

in-person

interaction

inthejobsearch.Automated,AI-drivenrecruitmentsimplycannotprovidethedeep

personalisationthey

require.Fortheseyoungertalent,directhumanconnectionisa

non-negotiable

requirement.They

relyon

face-to-faceinteractionforpsychologicalreassurance,toverifygenuinecareergrowth,andto

evaluate

workplace

culturefirsthandbeforeacceptingan

offer.Q.

Howimportantisittoconnectwith

a

person

duringyourjobsearch?

-

when

exploring

newjobs&when

applyingforjobsemployer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SAR56%60%58%62%63%68%

29about

randstad.Randstadistheworld’sleadingtalentcompanywiththevisionto

betheworld’smostequitableandspecialisedtalentcompany.Weare

apartnerofchoicefortalentandclients.Wehaveadeep

understandingofthelabourmarketandthroughourfourspecialisations–Operational,Professional,DigitalandEnterprise–

help

our

clientscreatethehigh-quality,diverseandagileworkforcestheyneedtosucceed.Wearecommittedtoprovidingequitableopportunitiestopeoplefromallbackgroundsandhelpthem

remain

relevant

intherapidlychangingworldofwork.Throughthevaluewecreate,wearecommittedtomakingtheworldofworkbetterforall.RandstadEmployerBrandResearch

2026

explores

theviewsofworkingpeopleinEurope,Asia-Pacific,

Latinand

NorthAmerica.Datawascollectedfromover

166,000respondentsinArgentina,Australia,Austria,Belgium,Brazil,Canada,Denmark,Chile,ChineseMainland,Czech

Republic,

France,Germany,Greece,HongKong

SAR,

Hungary,

India,

Italy,Japan,Luxembourg,Malaysia,Mexico,The

Netherlands,

New

Zealand,Norway,Poland,

Portugal,

Romania,Singapore,Spain,Sweden,Switzerland,UnitedKingdom,

United

States

andUruguay

inJanuary

2026.Forthisresearch,Randstad

partneredwith

Kantar,a

global

researchandanalysisfirm.Randstad

Hong

Kong

hasparticipatedintheEmployer

Brand

Researchsince

2013.Youcanexploremoreemployer

branding

insightsandyear-on-yeartrendsonourRandstadHong

Kong

website.hongkong@.hk+8522232

3408LinkedIn/company/randstad-hong-kong/Facebook/Randstad.HKInstagraminstagram.com/randstadhksaremployer

brand

research

2026–

hong

kong

SAR

30aboutemployerbrand

research.inf2025employerbrand

researchindustryemployer

brandperformanc