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School of Communication's survey finds: local and non-local tertiary students choose to work in Hong Kong as their first choice

The HongCOMM Survey of the Centre for Media and Communication Research under the School of Communication released its findings today (26 October) on the career perspectives of local and non-local tertiary students. The survey showed that a majority of the 2,423 interviewees would choose to work in Hong Kong as their first choice.

The survey, carried out through a web questionnaire in June and July this year, received responses from 1,828 local and 595 non-local students. It showed that a majority of all interviewees would choose to work in Hong Kong as their first choice. Of the non-local students, 80 percent expressed an interest in working in Hong Kong, with 26 percent of them considering that salaries in Hong Kong were high. A secondary reason, expressed by 19 percent, was that Hong Kong offered various development opportunities.

Professor Zhao Xinshu, Dean of the School of Communication and Director of the HongCOMM Survey, said the findings reflected the general belief among local students that Mainland students working in Hong Kong would definitely have an impact on them. More than 70 percent of local respondents said Mainland students would bring further competition to the job market and nearly 80 percent thought that job-seeking would become more difficult.

Furthermore, more than 40 percent of them believed that Mainland students would put downward pressure on salaries for graduates. On the other hand, 70 percent thought that the presence of Mainland students would boost the overall competitiveness of Hong Kong.

In addition, 36 percent of local students expressed an interest in developing their career in the Mainland. Of these, male students outnumbered females by two to one. Of all such students, 70 percent said the major reason for their choice was the large market and the opportunities offered in the Mainland. A total of 17 percent considered that work experience obtained in the Mainland would help them develop their careers.

To obtain views on how the media and netizens perceive career prospects in Hong Kong, the survey analysed 103 related news reports and 120 discussion items in 16 local newspapers and seven major online forums. The results showed that 60 percent of the news reports were optimistic in their outlook, while 74 percent of the online discussions were pessimistic.

Ms. Fanny Kong, Research Executive of the HongCOMM Survey, explained that the big discrepancy between the two was because the media mainly focused on reporting the macro-economy, such as changes in the unemployment rate and the increase of job opportunities, while the online discussions were more personal, often talking about unfavourable work experiences.

For detailed findings of the survey, please visit: http://www.comm.hkbu.edu.hk/hongCOMM/.

	Professor Zhao Xinshu (left) and Ms. Fanny Kong release the survey on local and non-local tertiary students' career perspectives