Recruitment of sales and marketing professionals was positive throughout 2017, with demand from all sectors, including financial services, technology, telecoms and consumer markets (such as retail, hospitality and tourism). However, activity has been strongest for junior roles, with more conservative levels of hiring for new senior headcount.

Digital marketing was the most in-demand skill set in marketing and communications in 2017. Candidates possessing niche skill sets in this area, including website and application development, social media, measurement and tracking and data-driven marketing analysis, will be the most sought-after hires in 2018. There has also been a high demand for candidates with strong content generation and development skill sets, as companies look for new and creative ways to deliver content. 

There has been a notable increase in demand for candidates with internal communications and corporate communication experience, as firms in Asia place more importance on messaging both internally and externally, and put more emphasis on branding and crisis management. Candidates with successful track records in these areas will be preferred in 2018. Organisations are also looking for strategic marketers who have strong writing ability, are capable of setting strategies and are happy to work in handson roles. Candidates with a broad communications background across media, PR, internal communications and executive communications will also be in demand.

There has been a steady demand for sales professionals across various industries. There are notable areas of hiring growth in the travel, leisure and lifestyle sector, as new businesses set up in Hong Kong and existing companies increase their sales presence. We have also seen continued demand for senior sales candidates in the telecommunications and managed services sectors, as traditional businesses look to transform their product offerings and new niche players enter the market.  

With flexible working hours and a good work-life balance becoming a growing priority for candidates, we recommend employers tailor reward packages to include flexible working conditions and career development opportunities to retain the best talent. In a candidate short market with demand outstripping supply, employers will also need to act quickly to ensure that positions are filled with their first-choice candidates. 

Salaries will remain stable in 2018 with job movers expecting to receive increments of 10-20%, with exceptions for professionals with specialist digital and tech skills, who could be able to command salary increases of up to 30% when moving jobs.

Source from: Robert Walters- salary survey 2018