HK graduates join exodus of financial professionals

Hong Kong has seen an exodus of experienced financial professionals. Recruiters said junior talent for investment banks and law firms is also harder to find and retain, with global recruitment firm Ambition reporting a 40% decline in candidates for entry-level positions compared to before the pandemic. Enrollments of international students, excluding those from Mainland China, across the top three universities also have dipped for the first time in a decade, falling from 3,977 in 2019/20 to 3,803 in 2020/21. This poses a problem with recruiters as many graduates now decide to pursue opportunities overseas or return home. Jenny Yuen, a business manager at Ambition, said this has been the worst year, contrasting the current lack of supply with 2018 and 2019, when fresh graduates were all over job ads.