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New data suggests Hong Kong employers are moving towards more diverse forms of pay as competition for skilled workers and AI talent intensifies.
Hong Kong has emerged as one of Asia-Pacific's leading markets for equity compensation, signalling a broader shift in how employers reward and retain talent beyond fixed salary packages.
According to new data from Deel, Hong Kong tied with the Philippines for fourth place in 2025 in the number of Employer-of-Record (EOR) employees receiving equity compensation, behind Australia, Singapore, and India.
The findings suggest that as competition for skilled workers intensifies across a tightening APAC labour market, employers are moving towards more diverse forms of pay as part of a broader rewards strategy.
Hong Kong's ranking reflects a region-wide trend, most pronounced among AI companies:
- APAC's share of new-hire equity grants more than doubled, from 4% in 2022 to 10% in the first half of 2026.
- The share of APAC new starters receiving an equity grant rose from 6.5% in 2023 to 16.7% in the first half of 2026.
- Among AI-sector EOR employees, APAC's share of equity grants more than doubled.
The data, drawn from more than 8,000 employees across nearly 100 countries, found the same pattern playing out worldwide:
- US-headquartered companies remain the most prolific issuers of equity, granting shares to 45% of their workforce on average – well ahead of companies headquartered in Germany, the UK, France, and the Netherlands.
- Equity compensation is expanding beyond engineering as the share of EOR equity grants allocated to sales roles has risen from 18% to 27% since 2023
- Roughly 30% of employees receiving equity through Deel work at AI companies
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