Hong Kong graduates’ overall confidence in their career prospects increases from 67% to 88%

A higher percentage of graduates now regard making a positive societal and environmental contribution through careers as a main factor when seeking jobs.

The 2024 Global Graduate Outlook Survey, released by CFA Institute, found that 88% of graduates surveyed in Hong Kong are confident in their post-graduate futures, showing a significant growth from 2023 (67%) after volatility experienced during the pandemic.

Covering nearly 10,000 university students and graduates globally, the survey also found that around 30% of Hong Kong respondents ranked finance as the most promising industry and reported higher career confidence for the second consecutive year.

What are graduates seeking in their careers?

While seeking careers with stability, graduates today are also looking for combination between their personal values and the company’s commitment to purpose.

Almost half of the Hong Kong respondents said a company’s commitment to ESG factors would definitely influence their decision to apply for a job (HK: 47%; global: 41%). 44% said making a positive societal and environmental contribution through their career is “very important”, while in 2023, only 16% did.

They survey also found that for 10% of surveyed Hong Kong graduates, their top concerns are having to compromise on their ethics or values for the job they want (global: 5%).

What factors do graduates value in their careers?

The survey found that 84% of Hong Kong graduates see undertaking a degree as a benefit to their career prospects (global: 81%), significantly higher than 57% in 2023.

Other than degree, Hong Kong respondents also agreed that real-work experience (41%), practical skills (39%), and specialised subject matter expertise (34%), are the most significant attributes that matter in the job market.

Hong Kong graduates are also positively seeking for upskilling with certificates and courses throughout their career. Almost all of the respondents think that upskilling and professional qualifications are important in the current job market (HK: 98% vs global: 95%), and 80% think these will help them secure higher earnings and give them an edge in the current job market.

Even 61% of them think professional industry qualifications or certifications are more valuable than post-graduate degrees.

Embracing AI trends

According to the survey, Hong Kong graduates are more optimistic about the advantages of AI and automation tools, compared to global respondents.

A majority (95%) of Hong Kong respondents believe that AI and automation are important to career success, which is significantly higher than the global average of 66%. 99% believe that knowing how to use these tools will benefit their career prospects (global: 92%), with only 1% said AI would have no benefit to their future careers (global: 8%).

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