By Susan Fenton
HONG KONG, July 9 (Reuters) - Job prospects for executives in Asia have improved in the past three months as employers expect business to pick up later in the year, although they are still cautious about adding headcount, a survey showed.
Hiring expectations in Singapore rose in the past three months for the first time since early 2007 and in Hong Kong increased for the first time since early last year.
Still, only 26 percent of Singapore employers plan to take on staff in the next three months, up from 20 percent last quarter, and in Hong Kong just 22 percent expect to be recruiting, up from 14 percent three months ago.
In China, only 27 percent of respondents said they would be hiring, down slightly from 30 percent in the previous quarter. But recent data suggests the world's third-biggest economy is accelerating and 34 percent of companies in manufacturing and the industry aim to take on staff this quarter, up from 21 percent last quarter.
The survey previously covered Japan but Hudson said it closed its Japan business in April and would no longer include it in its quarterly surveys.
Hong Kong and Singapore remain mired in recession as exports have collapsed this year in the face of weak Western demand. They have also been hit in the past year by the financial crisis, particularly Hong Kong, as investment banks have cut jobs.
However, in the latest survey, Hong Kong's banking and financial industry was more optimistic than the city's other industries, with 29 percent of companies surveyed saying they would be hiring, up from 12 percent in the second quarter. Much of the recruitment will be for back and middle office roles.
HIRING EXPECTATIONS IMPROVE
Across sectors, only 12 percent of Hong Kong companies plan to cut headcount this quarter, down sharply from 22 percent last quarter.
Hiring expectations in Singapore improved across the board, apart from a slight dip in media, public relations and advertising. In healthcare and life sciences, 38 percent of firms plan to hire for a third straight quarter.
While business conditions may not be as bad as earlier this year, companies across Asia do not expect their economies to start to recover until next year, the survey showed.
The economic downturn is prompting employers to lower starting salaries, notably in Singapore where 38 percent of companies said they were able to negotiate lower starting salaries, compared with 37 percent in Hong Kong and 31 percent in China. That marks a sharp turnaround in China.
In a similar Hudson survey taken in the third quarter of last year, only 8 percent of China companies said they could cut starting salaries.
About 47 percent of companies in China said they were reducing starting salaries by 6-10 percent compared with 56 percent of companies in Singapore. In Hong Kong, 23 percent of respondents said they were able to cut salaries by more than 10 percent compared with just 16 percent who were able to do so in Singapore.
The quarterly survey by Chicago-based Hudson Highland Group