Commentary

What skills are in demand in the life sciences industry?

Life sciences has proved to be a relatively buoyant market in 2016, as government healthcare policies, drug regulations, and merger and acquisitions contribute to hiring activity in the sector. The richness of a company’s product pipeline matched with the government’s healthcare policy is expected to have a major impact on hiring intentions in the upcoming quarter. In Hays’ latest July to September Quarterly Report, we have identified some key skills which will be in demand this quarter.

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What skills are in demand in the life sciences industry?

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Selling effectively: harnessing the power of big data

Effective sales is a very simple concept to describe: a company finds customers and then sells its products and services to them. But to put this concept into practice is much more difficult – it was not easy in the past and it is certainly not any easier today.

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The future of cybersecurity in Hong Kong

Cybersecurity has been an increasingly hot area of discussion, with the emergence and proliferation of big data, cloud computing, and data analytics. As more and more information is being collected, ensuring the security of such data is crucial to both businesses and consumers.

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Spending your advertising budget wisely

A recent report by admanGo focuses on some recent Hong Kong advertising spending figures. Confirming everyone's suspicions, the total ad spend in the city in January and February of this year was HK$6.01 billion – representing a 13 percent drop compared to the same period last year, and the first double-digit decrease since 2000.

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Overview and challenges of trade shows in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is famous for its crowded streets, its great transportation network, and its incredibly expensive apartments. But those aren't the only things Hong Kong is famous for: it is also at the very heart of Asia Business Events industry.

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Are you doing enough to encourage flexible working?

Nowadays, the traditional nine-to-five workplace routine has been slowly replaced by the growing trends of remote/flexible working and work-sharing. In fact, a great number of well known multinational companies, such as Facebook, have already put "flexible working" in place, encouraging employees to work on-the-go so as to boost productivity and friendly workplace culture.

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Time to kick off your ESG reporting journey

Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEx) released consultation conclusions regarding Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Reporting Guide last December, announcing the upgrade of ESG disclosure requirement from recommended best practice to "comply or explain" in two phases.

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5 trends driving job creation in Hong Kong's insurance sector

Hong Kong was recently ranked 70th globally in Mercer's Quality of Living survey, making it the 3rd highest-ranked Asian city after Singapore and Tokyo. As Hong Kongers pursue better standards of living and more comprehensive health and wealth planning, we have seen strong growth in the insurance sector as consumer demand increases.

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Big data, smaller risk

Anti-bribery crackdowns, the rise of patent litigation, greater transparency into Asian banking practices, more stringent privacy regulations, and the proliferation of new data sources – organisations doing business in Hong Kong are increasingly taking steps to proactively detecting and managing their risk using data analytics approaches.

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How does Hong Kong's workforce diversity rank?

Hong Kong is globally renowned as being an international financial centre where skilled professionals can further their career. Its geographical position in the region and proximity to mainland China make it an ideal location for multinational organisations and open-minded professionals.

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Employers in Hong Kong to keep salary increases to between 3-6% this year

Most employers in Hong Kong (57 percent) plan to provide salary increases of three to six percent in their next review period while 19 percent plan increases of up to three percent.

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Overcoming retail challenges in Hong Kong

2015 was not an easy year for retailers in Hong Kong. The latest report from the government’s Census and Statistics Department officially proves what most in the industry already knew in their hearts: the sector showed a year-on-year decrease for the second straight year.

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Here's how fitness will improve performance management

I have been thinking and contemplating how performance reviews are done in companies annually or monthly. Some companies are even getting rid of it completely. Then it occurred to me that performance management should really move to "just-in-time performance management."

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2016: The advent of the Interconnected Era

If we look back at how technology has impacted business development in 2015, we will see that trends like big data, cloud computing, and Internet of Things (IoT) have gradually become the new enterprise norms. Now, not only CIOs, but leaders across all business functions are re-inventing their IT strategies to capitalise on emerging technology.

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Construction & property professionals in demand: Active investment from the mainland creates new jobs

Hong Kong's active property market and a boom in construction are giving skilled candidates numerous opportunities to benefit from the buoyant growth of these sectors.

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Hong Kong's dilemma: antitrust immunity for liner agreements

Opinions mixed on whether Hong Kong should adopt a Singapore-style block exemption

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Don't Whatsapp me, Hong Kong! Recruiters still need face-to-face communication

WhatsApp is one of the most commonly used remote working tools among Hong Kong workers, according to a global survey on remote working habits. Over 90 percent of 365 workers surveyed in Hong Kong by the serviced office firm Regus, reported using WhatsApp when working away from the office.

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