Hong Kong workers see stricter office norms, weaker pay gains

The findings point to a gap between employee expectations and workplace realities.

60% of Hong Kong employees work five days per week in the office, compared with the global average of 17%, suggesting that Hong Kong’s workplace environment continues to place a stronger emphasis on in-person attendance.

Morgan McKinley’s 2026 Workplace Trends Report also found that salary movement appeared more moderate in Hong Kong. About 77% of Hong Kong employees said they did not receive a salary increase in the last six months, higher than the global average of 69%.

Globally, the report said employers are balancing cost control, workforce stability, flexibility, and the growing role of AI, whilst employees continue to expect fairness, flexibility, and a stronger employee experience.

The findings point to a gap between employee expectations and workplace realities, especially as flexibility becomes a central part of career decisions.

Across all surveyed markets, 70% of employees ranked work from home as their top benefit, whilst 64% said flexible working affects whether they accept or decline a job offer.

The report also found that workplace anxiety is rising globally, driven by concerns over job security, restructuring, AI disruption, and future career prospects.

Morgan McKinley said these concerns may affect engagement, ownership, decision-making, and collaboration if employers fail to rebuild confidence and trust.

AI is also changing the workplace and recruitment process. Globally, 43% of employees said they use AI for job searching, up from 26% in 2025, but 54% distrust its use in interviews.

Only 17% of employers currently use AI in recruitment, and 60% do not trust AI-generated insights for final hiring decisions.

Morgan McKinley said the future workplace will be shaped by five factors: stability, flexibility, trust, capability, and culture. It said organisations will need to balance stability with agility, innovation with trust, and performance with employee support.

The report surveyed 2,799 employees and 214 employers across Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Singapore, and the UK through an online survey conducted in late 2025.