South China Morning Post
Three Hong Kong universities slide down global league table ranking graduates’ employability
Three Hong Kong universities have dropped down a global league table ranking the employability of graduates, leaving the city without a representative in this year’s top 20.Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) fell from 10th to 26th in the 2020 study published in the Britain-based Times Higher Education magazine, and the University of Hong Kong (HKU) slid from 35th to 48th.Polytechnic University fell four places to 129th, while Chinese University was the only local institution to record a rise, shifting one place to 86th.Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. Three Hong Kong universities dip in annual World Reputation RankingsThe rankings, compiled by French human resources consultancy Emerging, cover 250 institutions rated by more than 9,000 recruiters from 22 countries. They were assessed on their ability to produce the best graduates for employers.Researchers told the Post that although Hong Kong universities always performed well in the study, there was an overall decline for 2020, which they said could relate to the local political atmosphere over the past year, as well as the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.Several campuses of Hong Kong universities emerged last November as battlefields during some of the worst violence of last year’s anti-government protests.PolyU and Chinese universities were the worst hit, with a campus of the former occupied by hardcore demonstrators and their supporters during a 13-day police siege.Asked if the sweeping national security law that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong from June 30 also had an impact on this year’s rankings, researchers said: “From this general movement of very different institutions, [we] can’t rule out the impact of recent events in Hong Kong.”They added: “But with Covid-19 hitting globally and an increasing need for employers to project on future jobs, it’s difficult to dissect different causes for changes in voting habits.”Ranked Asia’s No 1 this year, the University of Tokyo climbed from 7th to 6th. The National University of Singapore also rose five positions 9th. Peking University came top in mainland China, up a place to 17th.The data collection period for the annual survey took place between May and July this year. One year since campus protests, Hong Kong’s universities are not the sameEdmond So Wai-chung, general manager of a Hong Kong human resources consultancy, said individual employers’ responses were subjective, reflecting personal views, beliefs and preferences in taking on fresh graduates.“I believe various employers might have divided views, some of them might view certain things more negatively, but some might see things differently,” he said.Earlier this month, HKU, HKUST and Chinese University lost ground in a global ranking on international reputation, all of them dropping out of the top 50.The Post has contacted all four universities for comment.More from South China Morning Post: * Three Hong Kong universities dip in World Reputation Rankings, as HKU falls from top 50 and PolyU makes first-ever appearance * PolyU shoots up in Britain-based higher education rankings, while HKU remains top university in Hong Kong despite dropThis article Three Hong Kong universities slide down global league table ranking graduates’ employability first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020.