HK SMEs mull hiring non-local talents amidst recruitment difficulties

Nine in 10 SMEs plan to hire from the Mainland.

A majority of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) (88%) in Hong Kong who plan to hire more talent still face recruitment woes, data from the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) showed.

As a solution, three in 10 SMEs plan to hire non-local talents. Of those who plan to hire non-local talent, 90% would recruit from the Mainland.

Apart from seeking non-local talent, SMEs also plan to outsource vendors (25%) or use artificial intelligence (AI) to perform manual tasks (14%).

To help retain talent, 34% of SMEs plan to increase staff salaries.

Apart from recruitment, SMEs are also positive about investment, with 91% saying they would maintain or increase investment this quarter.

SMEs, however, are less confident about their business condition (-11.3%) and profit margin (-9.6%) this quarter.