Most of us have adapted to a ‘new normal’ with the current set of challenges that Covid-19 has posed. And whilst we have seen a general slowdown in hiring across a range of different functional areas and industries, one fact remains unchanged and that is there is still an uptrend when it comes to recruitment within the IT and Digital space.
Covid-19 has proven that companies who do not embrace digital and business technology and who still adopt obsolete practices of engaging with customers tend to suffer. Traditional industries such as Retail, FMCG, and Hospitality appreciate the importance of boosting sales revenue via Digital, eCommerce and social media initiatives and hence are hiring positions in these particular areas, especially because they are unable to attract the same amount of foot traffic as they used to in the past.
Brick and mortar retailers such as Marks & Spencer and Sephora are now offering attractive deals especially to first time users of their online shopping platform and mobile apps, and thus this has led to an increase in demand for positions such as Mobile App Developers, UX & UI Designer, Web Programmers etc.
As Hong Kong’s Fintech talent is not on par with some of its Asian counterparts such as Singapore, and with the view of maintaining Hong Kong’s position as an international Finance hub, the Hong Kong Government has announced a US$15.5 million subsidy plan to encourage companies to hire 1,000 Fintech professionals under two conditions. Firstly, companies can hire one Fintech professional and apply for a subsidy of HK$10,000 per month for a period of one year and secondly, candidates must be Hong Kong residents and the applying companies must be registered in Hong Kong. This initiative will encourage the hiring of positions such as Blockchain Developers, Compliance Specialists, Product Managers, Quant Analysts etc.
Some very hot jobs in 2020 are for Data Engineers, Network Security Engineers, Cloud Architects, DevOps Engineers and Cybersecurity professionals. Microsoft reported a strong growth in sales driven by the demand in the cloud computing services as customers are working online due to the current pandemic. And as many companies are focusing their operations on cloud infrastructure we therefore would see a demand for talents who have experience in the cloud environment.
By Varsha Mankani and Anushyia Vejayarajah
