The New Hiring Playbook: Strategies for Unlocking Hidden Talent and Building Agile Teams in Hong Kong

The CV looked perfect on paper: a high-level quantitative strategist with a PhD in mathematics and physics. Technically, he was a genius. Socially? He was introverted, quiet, perhaps even a little hard to read. In the traditional, box-ticking world of recruitment, he might have been flagged as a "culture fit risk."

But Philip Quinn, Practice Lead at Nicoll Curtin, knew something the CV didn’t showing. He knew that this math genius was also a bass player in a jazz band.

"When the HR Director flew in from Europe to meet him, they discovered they shared a mutual love for jazz," Philip recalls with a smile. "It turned out the candidate wasn’t just a fan; he took the HR Director to a gig where he was actually performing on stage. That shared moment solidified the relationship in a way a technical interview never could."

It’s a story that Jon Loh, Nicoll Curtin’s Executive Director for APAC, loves to tell. Not because it’s about music, but because it illustrates the single biggest shift in Hong Kong’s technology market today: The best talent is no longer just a checklist of skills. It’s a human story waiting to be translated.

In a recent conversation, Jon, along with his key team members CK and Philip, sat down to unpack what is really happening on the ground in Hong Kong’s post-pandemic tech scene.

▲ (From left: Jon, Philip, and CK): Jon, Philip, and CK believe that the 'human element' is the main trend moving forward. Nicoll Curtin is proud to connect niche talent with strategic employers and will continue to share innovative hiring solutions with business partners to navigate the post-pandemic landscape.

The "Hidden" Talent Market

"Candidates who are good at doing their job are not always good at writing their CVs," says Chun Kit SZE (CK), Principal Consultant, who specializes in digging up niche talent.

He points to the "tech geeks", the brilliant minds who build the backbones of our systems but struggle with interpersonal communication. "To them, using a complex platform is just like drinking a morning coffee, it’s routine. They don't realize that this 'routine' skill is actually a rare, expensive commodity in the market."

This disconnect creates a massive opportunity for employers who are willing to look deeper. CK shares a recent win: a client needed a candidate with a specific, ultra-niche background in Casino Gaming technology. It was a needle in a haystack.

"We believe there were maybe less than five people in the whole market with this specific experience," Jon adds. "But because CK knew the network, we found one. The client moved fast, immediate feedback, robust process, and they secured him."

The lesson for hirers? If you are looking for a "unicorn," stop reading the CV and start reading the person. The candidate you need might be hiding behind a poorly written bullet point.

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The Agility Gap: Why Hong Kong is Catching Up

While the hunt for permanent talent remains fierce, especially with 67% of employers planning to increase headcount next year, Jon notices a structural shift in how companies are hiring.

"Hong Kong is traditionally about five or six years behind Singapore when it comes to adopting 'Contract Hiring'," Jon observes. "In the past, there was a stigma. But that is changing fast."

The uncertainty of the global market like US policies, fluctuating trends means companies can’t always forecast three to five years ahead. They need agility. They need a "contingent workforce" that can pivot instantly.

"It’s not just a cost-saving measure, though you do save on benefits and pension administration," Jon explains. "It’s about risk management. If a project roadmap changes in 12 months, a contract workforce allows you to maneuver without the bad PR of layoffs."

For candidates, too, the mindset is shifting. Younger tech professionals see contracting not as "unstable," but as an accelerator. "They jump from a project in Bank A to a project in FinTech B," says Jon. "In five years, they have more varied, robust experience than someone who sat in the same permanent seat for a decade."

The "Nokia Snake" Moment for AI

Of course, no conversation about 2025 is complete without mentioning the elephant in the server room: AI.

Jon offers a grounded analogy. "Remember 2011? The year of the Smartphone. Before that, we were playing Snake on our Nokias. Then suddenly, everyone even our grandparents had the internet in their pockets. That is where we are with AI now."

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For hiring managers, this shift creates a new, urgent mandate. It is no longer enough to hire someone who can simply "use" AI tools. The market is moving past simple adoption into what Jon calls the "Prescriptive and Predictive" phases. Employers need to hunt for talent that doesn't just generate content, but uses AI to predict trends and prescribe business solutions.

"If you use AI just to replace work, you become replaceable," Jon notes. "The talent we are seeing now uses AI to invent new strategies. That is the new baseline for employability."

This evolution has birthed entirely new job functions. Philip adds a critical layer: Risk and Compliance. "As Web3 and AI converge, the demand isn't just for developers. It’s for people who understand the regulatory boundaries. One wrong move with AI could cost a company millions in lawsuits. The 'Chief AI Officer' isn't a vanity title anymore; it’s a shield."

▲ As the Executive Director for APAC, Jon witnessed the structural shift in Hong Kong’s tech talent market. He stated that the industry has realized the importance of agility over rigid skillsets, therefore building a resilient workforce that embraces both contract flexibility and AI innovation has been the continuous mission for Nicoll Curtin.

Conclusion: Building the Stairway

As the conversation wraps up, the team reflects on what advice they would give to CTOs and HR Directors trying to build resilient teams in this chaotic environment.

CK emphasizes the internal bridge: "Too often, HR looks for one thing, and the CTO looks for another. They need to talk."

Jon takes it a step further. "Agitate your environment," he advises leaders. "Don't just look internal. Go to networking events, talk to external partners, feel the market. If you rely only on what you hear from one or two friends, you aren't seeing the reality."

His final message to both employers and candidates is a powerful metaphor for the year ahead.

"Everyone wants to succeed," Jon says. "But do not focus on how to get to heaven. Focus on building the stairway to heaven."

In a market defined by talent shortages, AI disruption, and economic shifts, we can’t just wish for the perfect team or the perfect job. We have to build the skills, the processes, and the human connections, one step at a time to get there.

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