Hong Kong graduate job vacancies drop 60% as AI sweeps labour market, minister says

“Full-time job vacancies suitable for Hong Kong university graduates have plummeted by 60 per cent, as artificial intelligence (AI) sweeps through the city’s labour market, a minister has said. A person typing on a laptop. File photo: Rachel Johnson, via Flickr. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said on Wednesday that entry-level jobs vulnerable to automation have been hit hardest, with vacancies in administration dropping nearly 90 per cent over the three-year period and roles in information technology and programming falling by 80 per cent. The number of full-time job vacancies suitable for university graduates shrank from 80,000 in 2022 to just 31,000 in 2025, the minister said. The figures were derived from the Joint Institutions Job Information System, an online job search platform for students from Hong Kong’s eight publicly funded universities seeking employment, Sun said in his reply to enquiries by lawmaker Priscilla Leung. “We all know the impact of AI is sweeping and global. We are all exploring how to help young people find jobs in a world changed by AI,” Sun told the Legislative Council in Cantonese. Citing a survey by global consulting firm International Data Corporation, Sun said over 60 per cent of companies surveyed around the world had indicated they would cut entry-level positions in the next three years due to AI. Hong Kong Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun attends the first meeting of the eighth-term Legislative Council (LegCo) on January 14, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. He vowed that the Labour and Welfare Bureau would analyse the impact of AI on Hong Kong’s overall labour market and specific industries. Findings are expected to be released in the fourth quarter of this year as part of the mid-term update of the government’s Manpower Projections, he added. He also said that, between 2025 and 2028, the eight University Grants Committee-funded universities will introduce 30 new academic programmes covering emerging sectors, such as AI, cybersecurity, and the creative industries. Sun noted that, despite the drops in job vacancies, the unemployment rate among university graduates has not increased significantly. University students in Hong Kong. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. The number of employed people aged 15 to 29 with a degree or above was about 268,000 in 2025, compared with 270,000 in the previous year, Sun said, citing government data. Since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022, the use of generative AI chatbots and tools has become increasingly common across industries around the world. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has pushed for expanding the applications of AI across government departments and social sectors. In his Policy Address last year, he said the authorities would promote “extensive and deep integration of AI” across industries. During his annual budget speech in February, finance chief Paul Chan announced that he would chair a new “AI+ and Industry Development Strategy” committee . The government will also provide “AI training for all,” embedding AI education at different levels of education and vocational training, Chan said at the time.

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