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Jobs

Jobs
News about job creation, job losses, labour disputes, wage trends and other developments from around the world with a focus on Hong Kong and China.
Workers in Central navigate a busy street during the lunchtime rush. The report projects that Hong Kong’s workforce will decline from 3.47 million in 2025 to 3.4 million in 2028. Photo: Karma Lo
Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong workforce to shrink by 20,000 yearly as key sectors face shortages

Predicted 2028 shortfall will narrow to 130,000, but key sectors such as aviation, tech, healthcare and construction still face crunch.

Singapore

Singapore retrenchment rates hit highest level since pandemic

International Property

Asia-Pacific firms divided on how AI will impact office space demand: survey

Banking & finance

Double blow as top HSBC bankers lose education perk as job fears mount: sources

HSBC axes education benefits worth up to HK$300,000 as integration with Hang Seng Bank threatens jobs – but investors stay upbeat.

The HSBC headquarters in Central, Hong Kong. Photo: Sun Yeung
North Korea

Russia employs North Koreans to build drones for Ukraine war: report

The move shows how military ties have expanded beyond weapons and troops into labour and industrial production, the report says.

John Lee policy address 2026

Hong Kong’s new training visa could be available in first quarter of 2027

New visa category among spate of new talent-trawling measures unveiled in city leader John Lee’s policy address.

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China GDP

China’s worsening retail slowdown bolsters case for stimulus

Slower-than-expected retail sales growth and a deepening investment slump support the argument for government investment even as industrial output booms.

Photo: Xinhua
Japan

Opinion | A tension lies at the heart of Japan’s foreign labour policy

As Japan raises fees for residence permits and tightens the requirements for permanent residency, the effect on long-term settlement warrants attention.

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Commodities

Bullish chorus grows: Wall Street backs gold despite US job growth, hawkish Fed

Record buying spree by central banks offsets Fed tightening fears, pushing gold towards US$5,000 by year-end, investment banks forecast.

China education

China’s youth job crisis drives graduates to German vocational apprenticeships

Facing bleak employment prospects at home, some young Chinese workers are pursuing technical training abroad, but not all make it through.

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Some Chinese students looking to study abroad are considering vocational training programmes such as Germany’s Ausbildung system. Photo: Getty Images
Malaysia

‘All I want is a fair chance’: Malaysia’s deaf workers look to lead

A job offer is only the first step, deaf Malaysians say. True inclusion means equal opportunities and room to rise.

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Wong Yi Xiang, a deaf Starbucks employee, says he wants a fair chance to show his work-related skills. Photo: Ushar Daniele
Hong Kong society

Opinion | Gen Z is turning filial piety into a career path

Tough job and housing markets have graduates questioning whether the old bargain of hard work bringing progress and stability still applies.

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Asean

Southeast Asia’s extreme heat exposes holes in safety net for outdoor workers

Many Southeast Asian cities lack adequate heat risk assessments, and have weak regulations protecting outdoor workers, a report says.

United States

US job market rebounds with 162,000 new jobs, far surpassing expectations

The latest labour data may increase the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will raise its key short-term interest rate at its next meeting.

A hiring sign for sales professionals at a store in Vernon Hills, Illinois. Photo: AP
China jobs

How China’s AI race axes jobs, forcing workers into low-paid roles

White-collar, corporate jobs could be in the firing line as artificial intelligence proves quicker at tasks requiring data-heavy tech skills.

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A woman holds an umbrella as she walks through Beijing’s Central Business District (CBD). Photo: Reuters
Japan

‘Unacceptable shift’: Japan relaxes overtime rules under workaholic Takaichi

Businesses grappling with labour shortage have called for flexible work hours but critics say the move risks a return to ‘karoshi’ culture.

Banking & finance

Hong Kong’s long-term wealth hub status safe from mainland curbs: JPMorgan exec

The investment bank’s North Asia chairwoman downplays regulatory hurdles – and views the city’s rivalry with Singapore in ‘win-win’ terms.

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Hong Kong economy

Visa policy brings in more foreigners on short-term jobs and HK$20,000 salaries

Latest Immigration Department data shows 31,278 working visas granted to foreigners last year under General Employment Policy.

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Hongkongers head to work in Central. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Japan

Why Filipino migrants are rethinking their futures in Japan

The weak yen, rising costs and uncertainty over immigration rules have made staying long term in Japan difficult for foreign workers.

South Korea

South Korea’s Hyundai, union agree on tentative wage deal after rare strike

Around 40,000 out of roughly 73,000 employees walked off the job on Friday in the first such strike action for a decade.

Hong Kong society

Letters | Hong Kong needs clearer framework for handling high heat on work sites

Readers discuss work supervisors’ dilemma on extremely hot days, and Hongkong Post’s financial woes.

A construction worker on site under the extreme heat in To Kwa Wan on August 10. The city reached a scorching 36.9 degrees Celsius on August 9, the ­highest temperature recorded since the Hong Kong Observatory began operating in 1884. Photo: Sam Tsang
China jobs

Opinion | China’s falling gaokao numbers offer a revealing snapshot

The drop in candidates for the national higher education entrance exam suggests a repricing of risk, rather than a flight from ambition.

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Students queue to sit exams on the first day of the National Higher Education Entrance Examination, or gaokao, in Datong, in northern Shanxi province, on June 7. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong jobless rate steady at 3.7% since start of 2026 but pressure mounts

Fresh graduates and school leavers entering job market may pose some pressure on the unemployment rate, labour chief warns.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh rolls out women-only pink buses

The service is operated by women, for women, creating a safe, female-only space on the go.

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China jobs

Record graduate influx lifts China’s youth jobless rate to 17.9% in July

An estimated 12.7 million university graduates have entered the job market this summer.

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People line up at career guidance booths at a job fair in Beijing in March. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Greyest village in Japan turns to Peru sister city to plug worker shortage

Most of Nanmoku villagers are above 65 while Belen has a population of about 80,000, many of them young.

Saijo Hasegawa, mayor of Nanmoku, looks at a river near a roadside station in the Gunma prefecture village on August 3. Photo: Kyodo
Singapore

Singapore’s universities race to embrace AI as job demands transform

More employers are emphasising AI literacy and are willing to pay more for graduates with the relevant skills, analysts say.

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Australia

Australia slows down ‘backpacker visas’ in fresh migration crackdown

The visas, which allow people to work and travel in Australia for a set period of time, are popular with European and Japanese citizens.

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