Financial planning and analysis, pricing actuaries, retail leasing and business development are just four skills in demand as we welcome an active jobs market in 2014.

After the Lunar New Year, we expect the jobs market to heat up as candidates receive their bonuses and start considering opportunities to advance their careers.

Hence, we will see high demand for professionals to replace departing staff. Highly skilled people will be in high demand. Such candidates are already looking to change jobs to improve their prospects and career development.

We will also see jobs growth from multinationals looking to establish their Asian hubs here. This will create demand for candidates with MNC experience.

The following are some of the skills and jobs that we expect to be in demand, based on the Hays Quarterly Hotspots for January to March 2014 report: financial planning and analysis, internal audit, regulatory reporting analysts, senior analysts and managers, landscape architects, retail interior designers, relationship managers, international mobility consultants, IT business analysts, and helpdesk support.

Others include network engineers, mobile application development managers and project managers, pricing actuary managers, operational risk managers, regulatory and compliance lawyers, administration assistants, experienced receptionists, quantity surveyors with strong Greater China exposure, retail leasing professionals, marketing communications and digital managers, business development managers, retail store or area managers, and civil, mechanical and electrical engineers.

Marc Burrage is the regional director of Hays in Hong Kong