Hong Kong Degree Graduate Salary Growth Hits Five-Year Low Amid Record Underemployment
Quick Look
- Hong Kong degree graduates' average annual salary growth slowed to a five-year low of 2% in 2025, reaching HK$28,000 monthly, as underemployment hit a record high.
- Engineering and technology graduates saw earnings drop, with an expert linking this to AI replacing entry-level jobs.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Hong Kong degree graduates experienced their lowest salary growth in five years in 2025, with average annual earnings increasing by only 2 per cent and underemployment reaching a record high.
Salary growth for Hong Kong degree graduates slowed to a five-year low in 2025, with average annual earnings rising by just 2 per cent and sitting at HK$28,000 (US$3,570) a month as underemployment hit a record high.
According to the data, the average annual salary of degree graduates stood at HK$336,000. The figure represented an average of HK$28,000 per month and a 2 per cent increase from the year before.
The UGC also found that engineering and technology graduates had suffered a drop in earnings across sub-degree, degree and taught postgraduate levels, with the salary decline ranging from 0.3 to 5 per cent year on year.
The trend prompted an expert to warn that artificial intelligence (AI) had removed the need for many entry-level jobs, especially in the technology sector, which was heavily reliant on such software.
The overall annual salary growth, at 2 per cent, was the lowest recorded between 2020 and 2025, with past years seeing annual increments of about 4 to 8 per cent.
Open Questions
- What specific policies will be implemented to address graduate underemployment?
- How will universities adapt curricula to AI's impact on job markets?
- What is the long-term outlook for entry-level tech jobs in Hong Kong?
