‘Don’t have the illusion’: graduate job ads down 22% as AI rewrites the rules

Fresh graduate job postings in Hong Kong dropped by 22 percent over the first nine months of the year compared to the same time in 2025, according to Jobsdb, a leading job-search platform in the city. An industry leader warned that advances in technology, especially artificial intelligence (AI), will exacerbate the decline. The data also revealed that more graduates are competing for fewer positions, with a typical graduate job listing receiving 56 percent more applications than the previous year.

However, 85 percent of the 298 companies surveyed in August and September expressed willingness to hire fresh graduates next year. Bill Lee Chern-hsing, managing director of Jobsdb by SEEK in Hong Kong, noted that it is more challenging for fresh graduates to secure a job, but opportunities still exist. Employers are increasingly focusing on soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and analytical skills, followed by interview performance and work experience.

About 70 percent of multinational enterprises prioritized interview performance, while Chinese-owned companies placed more emphasis on work experience.

Alexa Chow Yee-ping, managing director of human resources consultancy ACTS Consulting, attributed the difficulty in finding employment to the growing use of AI. She cautioned that the situation is unlikely to improve in the short term, as technology continues to develop rapidly. Chow advised graduates to gain AI skills through their universities or certificate courses and to consider fields less susceptible to automation, such as sales, psychology, and counseling.

The survey also showed that 73 percent of companies would include AI skills in their recruitment requirements next year, with 54 percent emphasizing AI skills more than the current year.

Looking ahead, 73 percent of the companies polled expect the employment market in 2027 to be about the same or more active than in 2026. Meanwhile, 64 percent planned to maintain or increase their headcount next year, while 48 percent anticipated raising their employment budgets. Lee concluded that the survey findings suggest that employers remain cautiously optimistic about the job market in 2027, with the potential for a gradual recovery. AI skills have become an important hiring consideration for most employers.