HK Graduate Job Postings Drop 22% as 73% of Firms Plan to Require AI Skills
Data from Jobsdb shows a 22% decline in fresh graduate roles in HK over the first three quarters of 2026, while most employers intend to mandate AI skills in next year's hiring.
According to a report by the South China Morning Post, data from Jobsdb by SEEK, one of Hong Kong's largest job-search platforms, indicates that fresh-graduate job postings in the city fell 22 percent in the first nine months of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. Concurrently, competition intensified, with a typical graduate listing attracting 56 percent more applications than a year earlier.
Bill Lee Chern-hsing, Managing Director of Jobsdb by SEEK in Hong Kong, noted that while finding a job has become more challenging, opportunities remain, albeit with higher requirements. A survey conducted by the platform in August and September involving 298 companies found that approximately 85 percent of respondents were willing to hire fresh graduates next year.
The survey revealed a structural shift in employer preferences. While 56 percent of employers focused on soft skills, followed by interview performance and work experience, a significant majority are adapting to technological changes. Specifically, 73 percent of companies plan to include artificial intelligence (AI) skills in their recruitment requirements for the coming year, with 54 percent of those firms stating they will place significantly more emphasis on AI capabilities than they did this year.
Alexa Chow Yee-ping, Managing Director of human resources consultancy ACTS Consulting, attributed the difficulty graduates face to the growing use of AI. She warned that weak demand is a global trend likely to persist or worsen as technology advances. She advised students to acquire AI skills through university courses or certifications and to consider fields less vulnerable to automation, such as sales, psychology, and counseling, which require a human touch.