Vacant positions across APAC jumped 14% to 17,517

Number of new job seekers also rose.

Despite the poor end to 2015 and a shock start to January in the financial markets, a report sees growth in the hiring market.

According to a research note from Morgan McKinley, its Asia-Pacific Employment Monitor for Q1 shows robust growth. The number of professional positions available across the APAC region increased from 15,432 in Q4 2015 to 17,517 in Q1 2016, an increase of 14%.

There was also an increase in professionals seeking new roles, with those actively looking for new positions numbering 61,864, an increase of 24% from 49,702 in Q4 2015.

The Hong Kong market has been hit hard by the equity market volatility in China and the rest of the world. In addition, a slowdown in investment banking business has resulted in many organisations pulling back from growing their locally-based headcount. Brokerage firms have also been slowing, and in some instances freezing, their hiring and recruitment.

Here's more from Morgan McKinley:

“The amount of work being loaded onto existing staff in Hong Kong remains high” says Holliday “and the desire of the line manager to seek growth in their team to handle the volume is also there. However this has often not been reflected in head office sign-off: a larger than normal number of global players have been risk-averse and cautious in Q1 with their headcount.”

The Hong Kong financial market is facing demands from hedge funds and international investors to bring their rules more in line with Western markets. Investors are frustrated that trading in companies in Hong Kong can be suspended for prolonged periods, trapping investors in positions they cannot exit. This is of particular concern to hedge funds, which often short stocks.