Posted on 10/09/2026 by Charlotte Frank
Hong Kong businesses continue to operate in an environment where workloads, projects and headcount requirements can change quickly. For business support teams, that creates a familiar challenge: what happens when the work increases before permanent headcount does?
At Charlotte Frank, we have seen an increase in temporary requirements across the Hong Kong business support market, particularly for Executive Assistants, Personal Assistants and other support professionals. Employers are using temporary hires to cover maternity or extended leave, provide additional capacity during busy periods, support projects and bridge gaps while longer-term hiring decisions are made.
While this is our own market observation rather than evidence of a Hong Kong-wide increase, it reflects the conversations we are having with employers about building greater flexibility into their business support teams.
Adding capacity when it is needed
One of the biggest advantages of temporary hiring is the ability to respond to a defined need without immediately adding permanent headcount. An executive may require additional support, a team member may be taking several months of leave, or a business may be entering a period where the existing team cannot reasonably absorb more work.
This can be particularly valuable within lean business support functions, where an absence can quickly result in responsibilities being redistributed across the wider team. PwC's Hong Kong Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2025, published in January 2026 and based on 1,061 Hong Kong workers, found employees were navigating rapid workplace change alongside heavier workloads, fatigue and uncertainty around job security.
Where there is a clear short-term resource gap, temporary support can help prevent additional work from falling onto permanent employees while maintaining continuity for the executives, teams or offices relying on that support.
Experienced support that can make an impact quickly
Temporary does not necessarily mean junior. Experienced EAs and business support professionals can bring knowledge gained across different executives, organisations and industries, often with the ability to adapt quickly to a new working environment.
For a three, six or nine-month assignment, that experience matters. Employers may need someone who can quickly understand priorities, build relationships with stakeholders and take ownership with limited onboarding. Skills such as judgement, discretion, communication and stakeholder management therefore remain just as important for a temporary hire as they would for a permanent appointment.
Creating breathing room before a permanent hire
Not every vacancy needs to trigger an immediate permanent search. A departure can be an opportunity to reconsider what the business actually needs.
Has the executive's remit changed? Does the role need to be broader? Has technology changed some of the administrative requirement? Would an EA, Office Manager, Team Assistant or another type of business support professional now be the better fit?
Temporary cover allows businesses to answer those questions while ensuring the work is still being managed. It separates the immediate need for support from the longer-term decision about how the team should be structured.
This flexibility is likely to remain important as organisations think more carefully about workforce planning. Hong Kong's latest manpower projections estimate an overall shortage of 180,000 workers by 2028, including a projected shortage of 27,000–32,000 managers, supervisors and professionals. While these figures are not specific to business support, they reinforce the importance of having different ways to access talent as workforce requirements change.
What should employers look for?
The fact that someone is joining temporarily should not mean lowering the hiring standard. In many cases, a temporary professional has less time to learn the organisation before they are expected to contribute.
Employers should therefore look beyond availability and consider how quickly someone can adapt, whether they have experience supporting similar stakeholders and how confidently they can operate independently. A clear brief is equally important: defining what the individual needs to own, what success looks like and which skills are required from day one makes it much easier to find someone who can make an impact within the assignment.
What temporary employers need to know in 2026
Employers should also be aware of changes to Hong Kong employment legislation. From 18 January 2026, the requirements for an employee to qualify as being employed under a "continuous contract" changed. An employee continuously employed by the same employer for four weeks or more can now meet the working-hours requirement by working at least 17 hours each week or, in certain circumstances, at least 68 hours across the relevant four-week period.
For businesses using temporary or part-time staff, it is important to ensure assignments reflect current Hong Kong employment requirements and to understand the statutory entitlements that may apply.
A more flexible approach to business support
The increase in temporary requirements we are seeing at Charlotte Frank suggests that more employers are considering temporary hiring as part of their wider approach to business support.
Whether it is covering an absence, managing a busy period, supporting a project or giving the business more time before making a permanent hire, temporary professionals can provide experienced support at the point it is needed.
Charlotte Frank recruits temporary business support professionals in Hong Kong for assignments from a minimum of three months. If you have an upcoming period of leave, a short-term increase in workload or a gap within your team, contact Vien Ng at vn@charlottefrank.com to discuss how Charlotte Frank can support your search.