The eighth goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development (SDG 8) aims to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment, and decent work for all. In Hong Kong where the capitalist system is fully adopted, the relationship between supply and demand is paramount. Back in time when there was a shortage of surgical masks, engineers managing the production masks could ask for a monthly salary of $100,000 while allowing them to work for a number of manufacturers. Today, ESG has become a hot topic in the global financial market and corporates gradually thirst for ESG talents.

The existence of the internet could break the norms of working in physical office and 5-day working as a contracting mechanism may thoroughly substitute the traditional employment mechanism. Tasks could be uploaded to a cloud-based platform and job seekers to bid for the tasks. Many corporates are getting used to a hybrid working mode after the pandemic, which allows both offline and online working. While the new generation prioritizes work-life balance over the job, the 3-2-2 arrangement could be a more common working style in the future, which means three days in office, two days remote working, and two days off. The 3-2-2 working arrangement has been widely adopted in the United States.

Learn more from the full article (in Chinese only) written by Kenny Siu, Senior Advisor of AEC Group, published on Sing Pao on 9 May.