Research from Hays finds 2025 will be characterised by developments in green finance, digital marketing, and cybersecurity, all of which are driving demand for talent.
By Maggie Mancini
Hong Kong is poised for significant changes in 2025 as advancements in green finance, digital innovation, and a rapidly evolving employment landscape reshape the city’s industries. The coming year will be characterised by developments in sustainability, digital marketing, and an increasing cyber threat, all of which are driving demand for specialised talent, according to research from Hays.
“We have seen a significant shift in business focus across the region, driven by investor demand for sustainability,” says Sue Wei, managing director at Hays Greater China. “This is particularly influencing the finance sector, where regulatory pressures mean that financial organisations are required to integrate green practices, such as carbon accounting, sustainability reporting, and climate risk assessment. With these factors experiencing an upward trend in 2025, there will be increased competition for talent in these areas over the coming year.”
The top talent trends in Hong Kong include the following, according to Hays.
- Sustainability is a business priority as Hong Kong focuses on green finance. Hong Kong’s financial institutions are increasingly integrating green practices, including climate risk assessment, sustainability reporting, and carbon accounting to avoid falling short of new regulations. Organisations are hoping to attract talent with expertise in green bond issuance, ESG fund management, and sustainable project financing.
- Geopolitics are driving demand for risk and compliance management. 2024 saw disruption brought by advances in AI, and major shifting on the global political stage. Supply chain disruptions and the possibility of sanctions are requiring businesses to revisit existing structures and plan for contingencies. While regulation for AI is still sparse, the government has issued a framework on using personal data in conjunction with AI.
- Retention strategies are key to securing mid-level accountants. As talent pipelines in the region grow interconnected, Hong Kong is seeing more accounting jobs being offshored to regions with lower costs. Responsibilities for these roles are generally routine. However, the supply of talent has continued to fall, as accountants in Hong Kong continuing to leave the profession for different industries and careers. Salaries have grown competitive, and employers have put initiatives such as career development and flexible working options at the forefront for their staff.
- There is increasing demand for corporate governance lawyers. Once a prime destination for global firms looking to setup a local practice, Hong Kong has since seen at least 16 law firms shutting down or exiting the market entirely. Among existing practices, fewer trainees move forward to become paralegals and many more are dropping out of the profession. Even so, law professionals remain in demand from in-house teams looking for experts in general commercial and leasing.
- Increased competition in the insurance market is expected. Hong Kong’s insurance market has been steadily growing. Despite this, global insurers have begun taking a conservative stance in planning headcount, choosing to reallocate talent into focused functions instead of expanding. This sentiment appears to be driven by rising operational projects in Southeast Asia, from which a new regional hub may surface. In the short term, skilled professionals are still in demand, with many insurers in Hong Kong seeking talent versed in risk, compliance, legal, actuarial, and cybersecurity.
- Demand for digital marketing talent is pushing salaries upward. Marketers are expected to be able to derive insights from vast sources of data to inform their next steps towards enhancing engagement and driving growth. Professionals with expertise in digital marketing, e-commerce strategies, and data analytics remain in short supply, which is pushing salaries upwards for qualified professionals compared to those still in traditional marketing roles.
- Cyber threats have become more common. With a wide array of digitalisation across all aspects of Hong Kong’s industry, there is a fear that organisations are vulnerable to cybersecurity threats. To protect against breaches and avoid non-compliance fines, industries throughout the region—particularly healthcare, education, technology, and logistics—are investing in robust cybersecurity frameworks, creating a demand for talent skilled in cloud security, network protection, and incident response. To attract talent, companies are offering competitive salaries, flexible working options, and professional development.
