The hiring expectations of multinational corporations across major Asian markets continue to rise, according to a just-released quarterly study by Hudson, provider of permanent recruitment, contract professionals and talent management services worldwide.

Over 1,650 key employment decision makers were surveyed in March 2011 from multinational organisations of all sizes in all major industry sectors. The decision makers surveyed were located in China (Beijing and Shanghai), Hong Kong and Singapore.

Hiring Expectations Still Rising in China and Hong Kong

Hiring expectations continue to rise in China and Hong Kong while they are levelling off in Singapore. As was the case last quarter, expectations in China and Hong Kong are at their highest level since The Hudson Report was launched in Q4 1998.

The fastest growing expectations are reported by China, where 77 percent of respondents across all sectors forecast headcount growth this quarter, compared with 72 percent in Q1. The Manufacturing & Industrial sector has both the largest increase and the highest expectations: 86 percent plan to hire more staff, up from 74 percent. Companies in the energy, automotive, railway and marine segments are hiring particularly aggressively.

Overall 69 percent of respondents in Hong Kong expect to increase hiring in Q2, up from 66 percent the previous quarter. Legal firms have the highest expectations, with 88 percent of respondents forecasting headcount growth. Demand for lawyers with five years’ post qualification experience is strong and Chinese language skills are sought after.

Expectations are almost unchanged in Singapore, suggesting that the market is stabilising at a high level. Across all the sectors surveyed, 61 percent of respondents plan to grow headcount in Q2, compared with 62 percent in Q1. The Healthcare & Life Sciences sector reports both the highest expectations and the greatest increase: 67 percent of respondents say they will hire more staff, up from just 38 percent in Q1.

Mike Game, CEO, Hudson Asia, comments, “Hiring expectations in China and Hong Kong are at all-time highs and they remain at a high level in Singapore. It comes as no surprise that employers in all three markets are finding it harder to recruit top talent than this time last year.”

Sales Staff in Greatest Demand

Respondents were asked about the areas in which they expect to increase headcount in the next six months. In all three markets sales professionals are in the greatest demand.

At 60 percent, China has by far the largest proportion of respondents planning to recruit sales staff, suggesting that companies in all sectors are preparing to cope with continuing high levels of demand for their products and services. Engineering/operations/technical staff and marketing specialists are also sought after: 36 percent and 28 percent respectively say they plan to increase headcount in these areas.

In Hong Kong, 35 percent of respondents across all sectors say they will hire more sales staff, a lower figure than for the other markets surveyed. Other areas which will see a high level of recruitment activity include mid-office – banking and financial services, accounting/finance and IT&T, mentioned by 21 percent, 20 percent and 18 percent respectively. The Consumer sector has the highest proportion of respondents planning to recruit more sales professionals – 59 percent.