01 Interview｜JobsDB Hong Kong Director Li Zhengxun suggested: Employers start from three aspects to win the talent war

Hong Kong is currently facing a shortage of talents. Many industries are experiencing problems such as "there are no jobs available" and employers have difficulty in recruiting. The scrambling of talents has become an important social issue.

Li Zhengxun, Chief Operating Officer of JobsDB Hong Kong, a recruitment platform, attended the "Global Education Technology Summit" hosted by Uncle Potato Chip Co-creation Club earlier and hosted a panel discussion on "Asian Talent Development Needs and Trends".

In an interview with "Hong Kong 01" after the conference, he said that all parts of the world are facing the problem of talent shortage, and Hong Kong's competitors are not only Singapore, but all over the world.

He suggested that employers can start with three aspects: recruitment process, company culture and employee training, in order to break through and attract suitable candidates.

Li Zhengxun also pointed out that the current employers are increasingly demanding digital skills from candidates, and expect employees to have the ability to adapt to cope with the current changing social and economic environment.

In an interview with Hong Kong 01, Li Zhengxun, Chief Operating Officer of JobsDB Hong Kong, suggested that employers should follow three aspects: recruitment process, company culture and employee training, in order to stand out and attract suitable candidates.

(Photo by Zhang Haowei)

Talent mismatch, job advertisements increase year-on-year

Li Zhengxun said that in recent years, affected by the epidemic and the digitalization of various industries, there has been a shortage of talents in Hong Kong and the world.

He cited JobsDB data as saying that the number of job advertisements in the second quarter of this year increased by 51% compared with the same period in 2021, and the number of job advertisements in the third quarter of this year also increased by 24% compared with the same period last year, and there was a decrease in applicants.

The hardest hit areas for talent shortages are not limited to the IT sector. Administrative and human resources, accounting, sales and business development trades are all facing similar situations.

In the face of "there are jobs but no jobs", how can employers solve the problem of hiring people?

Li Zhengxun believes that we can start from three aspects: recruitment process, company culture and employee training, in order to break through and attract suitable candidates.

Employers start from three aspects to break through to attract applicants

Li Zhengxun suggested that employers review the recruitment process, from the advertisement, the content of the advertisement and the speed of responding to the applicants are all very important.

He gave an example. There is a shortage of talents. When companies advertise on recruitment platforms, they need to ensure that the advertisements are the most prominent and appear at the top to attract candidates.

As for the content of job advertisements, he suggested that employers can emphasize the company's working environment and atmosphere, and enhance the company's transparency and "employer brand".

As for the processing of job applications, he pointed out that "the competition for talent is fierce now, and it is important for employers to reply quickly." He suggested that companies can make good use of technology, such as introducing a job tracking system, to shorten the original two or three weeks of procedures to two or three days, and speed up the process Recruitment procedures prevent talent from being snatched up by other companies.

In addition, employers need to show the company culture to job seekers, such as the working environment, company structure and management model and style, etc., so that job seekers can understand the company before applying for the job, and at the same time, they need to ensure that the selling points of external publicity are consistent with reality, so as to attract talents and retain them. talent.

As for employee training, Li Zhengxun quoted JobsDB's earlier "Remuneration Survey Report" as saying that both current employees and job seekers hope to have the opportunity to receive retraining or skill upgrades so that they can adapt to the new working environment. Employers need to focus on talent training. increase investment.

In an interview with Hong Kong 01, Li Zhengxun, Operations Director of JobsDB Hong Kong, suggested that employers can optimize the recruitment process to attract suitable candidates.

(Photo by Zhang Haowei)

More and more employers value candidates' relevant work and further education experience

Some job seekers may think that they have an advantage when companies are thirsty for talents.

However, Li Zhengxun pointed out that most recruiters are now looking for employees with digital skills or technologies. Even in jobs such as finance and administration that used to require less digital skills, employers also expect employees to have digital skills, such as data analysis, use of social media Wait.

As for academic qualifications, according to Li Zhengxun's observations through the job market and job advertisements, employers still attach great importance to academic qualifications, and the educational requirements for applicants have not fallen but have risen slightly. However, work experience related to the position is also becoming more and more important.

Even if a job seeker’s own degree may not be relevant to the job position, if he has relevant work experience, he has even studied and applied for relevant courses and certificates on his own.

In addition to academic qualifications and skills, Li Zhengxun believes that soft skills are equally important, especially since the current economic and social environment is fluctuating. Employers want to find employees with strong adaptability. It is suggested that job seekers should try their best to show self-confidence and personal characteristics during interviews to win employers' attention.

Li Zhengxun, Chief Operating Officer of JobsDB Hong Kong, believes that there is a global talent shortage, and Hong Kong's rival for talent is not only Singapore, but all over the world.

(Photo by Zhang Haowei)

Talking about the talent war: Hong Kong rivals not only Singapore

On the other hand, the brain drain that has been hotly debated in Hong Kong has fallen behind Singapore in the talent war. Chief Executive Li Jiachao has also introduced a series of measures to attract talents in the just announced Policy Address.

Li Zhengxun believes that Hong Kong has always been an international city. In the face of a global talent shortage, Hong Kong's rivals for top talent include Singapore, Dubai, London, New York, etc. The key is "what can Hong Kong do to attract top talent?"

Talking about the impact of anti-epidemic measures on attracting talents, Li Zhengxun said that the world is in different stages of returning to normal, and Hong Kong is also on the road to normal. He believes that Hong Kong employers can now check whether the benefits, salary and culture are more attractive than other cities. .

For example, according to an earlier report published by JobsDB, 70% of employees in Hong Kong want to maintain the hybrid model of working from home part-time and working in the office part-time, but only 10% of employers have adopted it as a permanent measure, and similar ideas are not in Hong Kong. Uniquely, employers need to think about how to respond to employee needs to attract talent.