56% Want It, 38% Leave For It: The Critical State of Work-Life Balance in Hong Kong: Randstad Hong Kong

• Work-life balance remains the #1 Employee Value Proposition (EVP), jumping 10% in importance since 2024 (56% in 2026 vs. 46% in 2024).
• Top 3 turnover drivers: Poor work-life balance, uncompetitive compensation & benefits, and limited career growth.
• Mobility trends: 30% of Hongkonger plan to change jobs (peaking at 32% among Gen Z), while 14% seek internal transfers (highest among Millennials at 16%).

HONG KONG, June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 'Work-life balance' continues to reign as the top employee value proposition (EVP) for talent in Hong Kong, while 'career progression' has entered the Top 5 EVPs for the very first time in 2026.

Randstad - the global talent company - today revealed early findings of its 14th annual Employer Brand Research in Hong Kong SAR. Commissioned by Randstad and independently conducted by Kantar, this annual study is the world's most comprehensive employer brand research, surveying over 166,000 people globally, including 2,500 respondents in Hong Kong SAR.

Natellie Sun, Managing Director of Randstad Greater China and Southeast Asia said, "Our 2026 findings show that while work-life balance remains the ultimate priority, career progression has broken into the top five EVPs for the first time in six years. Immediate rewards and daily workplace experiences are still highly valued, but we are seeing a distinct shift: talent in Hong Kong is adopting a much more long-term, strategic mindset when managing their careers."

Work-life Balance Remains the Leading EVP Driver

The 2026 research reveals that 56% of Hong Kongers prioritise work-life balance when seeking an ideal employer, marking a 10% increase from 2024. This is closely followed by attractive salary and benefits (52%) and job security (43%).

Top 5 Most Important EVP Factors When Thinking about an Ideal Employer

Hongkongers View Work-life Balance through a Functional Lens

Data shows that Hongkongers prioritise tangible benefits which are good environments, reasonable workloads, flexible arrangements, health support, time off and access to work, over soft factors like "supportive leadership and culture".

44% of talent in Hong Kong cite reasonable workload and expectations as the primary driver of a healthy work-life balance, nearly double the proportion who prioritise supportive leadership and culture (23%). 

Amid talent shifts driven by agile business iterations, forward-thinking managers should do more than simply reassign tasks to teams or AI tools. Instead, they should take actions to prioritise employees' morale, redesign workflows, and reallocate resources to ensure sustainable productivity.

Another 42% attribute better work-life balance to flexible working arrangements. However, the proportion of employees offered hybrid or remote options has declined (32% in 2026, down from 37% in 2025). Increasingly, employers are mandating a return-to-office (RTO) to track productivity and drive growth. Yet, companies need to be wary of "pseudo-flexibility", which is when workloads are unreasonable and the line between work time and personal time becomes blurry. Consequently, a poor work-life balance remains the leading driver of resignations in Hong Kong (38.2%).

Switch or Not? Hongkongers Seek Job Security and Career Progression

The Hong Kong talent market is currently navigating a structural supply-demand mismatch, accelerated by AI and economic uncertainties. Faced with these external market risks, talent are increasingly choosing security over mobility.

While 30% of workers still plan to change jobs, external mobility intentions have noticeably slowed down compared to previous years. Instead, the appetite for internal transfers has grown to 14%. Driven by a challenging macroeconomic environment, talent is opting to anchor themselves to current employers, looking for security rather than risking an external move.

However, choosing security does not mean no retention pressure. Employers need to look beyond surface-level declines in turnover and evaluate the workforce through the lens of EVP and attrition factors, to mitigate the risks of 'job hugging' fallout and talent loss.

A disconnect exists between what talent expect and what they experience daily. The widest gap lies in "salary and benefits," followed by "career progression". Notably, 38% of respondents leave because salary and benefits failed to keep pace with rising living costs and workload, while 29% leave due to a lack of career growth opportunities.

As market-wide salary increments slow down and corporate budgets become cautious, talent are adopting a more pragmatic approach toward compensation and benefits. When weighing salary ceilings against career ceilings, talent possess far greater agency to shatter their career barriers.

Career development is a continuous journey that relies on both personal commitment and a supportive work environment. It encompasses vertical advancement and horizontal expansion, with expectations evolving across the short, medium, and long term. As Partner for Talent, Randstad is committed to supporting candidates through every stage of the career journey.

Randstad Hong Kong 2026 Employer Brand Research Report: Now Available

The 14th edition of the Randstad Hong Kong Employer Brand Research is available now on the website, exploring the insights from 2,500 respondents for the following themes:

• how talent across different generations is ranking EVP importance
• what elements strengthen job security and enhance work-life balance
• job-switching behaviour and the reasons for leaving jobs
• AI powers the job search, human connection builds trust.

About Randstad Employer Brand Research

Randstad Employer Brand Research 2026 explores the views of working people in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and North America.

Data was collected from over 166,000 respondents in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Uruguay In January 2026. For this research, Randstad partnered with Kantar, a global research and analysis firm.

About Randstad

Randstad is a global talent leader with the vision to be the world's most equitable and specialised talent company. As a partner for talent and through our four specialisations — Operational, Professional, Digital and Enterprise — we provide clients with the high-quality, diverse and agile workforces that they need to succeed in a talent scarce world. We help people secure meaningful roles, develop relevant skills and find purpose and belonging in their workplace. Through the value we create, we are committed to a better and more sustainable future for all.

Headquartered in the Netherlands, operating in 39 markets and Randstad N.V. is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam. For more information, see www.randstad.com.

SOURCE Randstad Hong Kong