Fewer Hong Kong Employers to Increase Headcount in 2025

Employers are expressing difficulty with recruitment, with companies looking to improve retention through the use of pay raises, promotions, and enhanced benefits.

By Maggie Mancini

Hiring plans for 2025 show that nearly half of Hong Kong employers (47%) intend to maintain their current headcount—down 1% from last year—while 24% of employers plan to increase it, representing a 6% decline from 2024, according to research from Jobsdb by Seek. 

The research also finds that 17% plan to freeze headcount, an 8% increase from last year, while 7% plan to cut headcount, up 3% compared to last year. Over the past 12 months, 59% of employers offered performance bonuses. Frontline staff are expected to see the highest increase in bonuses in 2025 compared to 2024.  

The research also finds 69% of the surveyed employers express recruitment difficulty as compared to five years ago. Pay raises remain the most popular talent retention measure, at 47%, up 3% from last year. This was followed by 29% for job promotion and 22% for improved benefits. 

In addition to adjusting their recruitment strategies, companies are gradually returning to pre-pandemic work patterns. The survey indicates that 68% of companies no longer offer hybrid or remote work arrangements and are now requiring employees to return to the office. Employers are also reducing the number of days employees can work flexibly from different locations each year. The proportion of companies offering flexible work location options for more than 15 days annually has decreased to 23% from 39%.  

Meanwhile, 40% of employers say they are not aware of the benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The report finds that 20% have adopted specific measures to promote DEI in the workplace. The top two measures adopted to foster DEI are polices that address workplace harassment and discrimination (46%) and unconscious bias training for employees (34%).