[ali]

Hi,

Just wondering how job prospects in HK are at the moment for IT/Telecommunications? Is it still very difficult to find jobs? Is being a native English speaker an advantage in job hunting?

I am currently a resident in Australia working as a Network Consultant (data networking related) and is just considering what are the chances of getting a good job in HK.........

Thanks.

[fly]

IT/Telecoms in HK is still relatively flat just like its been in the rest of the world, but there are signs that its picking up a bit recently. I would say that speaking native English would definitely be considered an asset, but unless you are in Senior Mgmt at an MNC, you would need some degree of local language skills to fit in and get the job done. Cantonese would help, but Putunghua would be even better.

I don't mean to discourage you, however, definitely look/ask around and make sure if you can that you have an offer before coming over and giving up your present job.

Good luck!

[ali]

Hi Fly,

Just want to say thanks for your comments to my query. Luckily I am also a fluent Cantonese speaker and I'm also building on my basic Puotungha skills too. Hopeful this will boost my job prospects. Thanks!

[fly]

Hey, then you and I probably may be in similar niche market! For myself, I've found that fluent Cantonese and native English is (fortunately still) a good combination and can only help you to rise above the competition.

[ali]

Thanks mate, really sounds promising then. So what field are you in?

[fly]

I'm in telecoms myself, but to the laymen it's all IT-related anyways and I've given up trying to explain the differences in what we do.

[Paragon]

I don't know about the IT job market but I think the competition within the business/finance/banking job markets is tough as hell...

Hong Kong is neverthless a SMALL place...I see a over supply of labor in each and every field...in general.

And in the long run, I don't think the IT market would prosper in Hong Kong simply because HK is not supposed to be a place for IT development. The reason I say this is because, the IT industry will never get enough funds from the government to allow and "real" research and scientific studies to be done.
Why? Because we don't have (as it is not needed for) a military budget.

Looking back at history, all the so called "IT" techs are derived from military products including computer and the internet.
A real life examepl; when the SARS epidemic. broke out the infrared scanner to detect human body temperature over a large area was developed in mainland China, NOT Hong Kong. China could made that device in a few days because they are benefited from the large military budget granted by the government.

[KnowItAll]

There is a thriving IT sector in Hong Kong.

The investment and retail banks, airlines and the telcos tend to use information technology to a fairly bleeding edge. Now Broadband, HSBC's internet banking system, some of the telco networks are all excellent examples of companies having used the technology available to its maximum.

HK will not be an inventor of technologies like Israel or even China (assuming they invent ... not create near reproductions like the Japanese did a decade or three ago)... however, it will remain

[fly]

No doubt the market is tough, and for most industries it's very much still an employer's market. I do think, however, that there's still a demand for qualified people with good skills and experience.

Even without a military budget (let's hope we don't ever need one), the telecoms market in HK specifically exists for at least 4 reasons that I can think of below:
1) to meet the needs of enterprise businesses who are headquartered here and need to communicate, across the globe or across town, there are system integrators and equipment vendors that don't need to rely on developing new equipment, but rather sell solutions that meet customer's demands;
2) high number of mobile penetration/broadband usage among the general population demands higher bandwidth requirements;
3) Similarly, HK enjoys what's among the lowest IDD rates in the world, think of the equpment that must be sold/maintained/upgraded to enable that (until skype takes over, that is)
4) cable over DSL (i.e NOW) is still a relative novelty in most parts of the world, yet it's readily availalbe in HK. This kind of pioneering mentality does encourage and drive demand for telecom services and gear that is lacking in other parts of the world.

[Paragon]

True...those are valid reasons for IT development in Hong Kong...but I would reamin skeptical about it's feasibility...

Looking at the so called "telecoms market" in Hong Kong...it tends to more financial/business oriented I think

The only REAL IT inventions by HK is the Octopus Card...other than that I see no other major IT advancment in Hong Kong

I guess most, if not all of our IT technologies are imported from outside.

Let's wait and see what the "Cyberport" can do