Sluggish demand reflected in hiring intentions

Hiring demand among Chinese companies remains slow, according to a recruitment report released by global talent solutions company Hudson on Tuesday.

Among 1,588 surveyed employers, 45 percent plan to add to their headcount in the first half of this year. Even though the number is slightly up from the 43 percent during the same period last year, it is still below 50 percent, which indicates relatively sluggish demand.

Beijing and Shanghai are the two cities showing the highest intentions to hire. In both information technology and telecommunications show the strongest demand. At least 71 percent of IT&T employers in Shanghai said they would hire in the coming six months, while the number in Beijing is 63 percent.

Despite uncertainty in the country's economy and stock market, banking and financial services show equally high hiring demand for the first half of 2016. Nearly 71 percent of banking and financial services employers in Shanghai said they have such plans. Guangzhou is second to Shanghai in this sector, with 62 percent of employers expressing a willingness to hire new staff in the first half.

According to Bi Lin, general manager of Hudson Shanghai, a shift from employers looking to maintain headcount in the second half of 2015 to increasing headcount this year has been noticed. The main driver is the need of organizational growth, as 68 percent of employers named this as their No.1 reason for increasing headcount.

"Employers should plan well by building a talent pipeline for critical roles to ensure they get the best talent in the market," she said.