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A Hong Kong fresh graduate who secured a banking job paying more than HK$20,000 a month has sparked online debate after saying his parents criticized the offer as “too low” and insisted that HK$50,000 a month should be the norm for new graduates.
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In a post shared on Threads on Sunday, the graduate said his family openly mocked the offer, asking whether he “planned to live in a subdivided flat” and whether he regretted not studying harder when he was younger.
He said the repeated lectures at home had weighed on him, especially as his parents kept comparing him with civil servants, whom they believed typically start on much higher pay.
After the post drew widespread attention, the graduate said both his parents are civil servants earning around HK$40,000 a month, roughly double his starting salary.
The story resonated with many local internet users, who criticized the parents’ expectations as unrealistic amid Hong Kong’s sluggish job market.
Many fresh graduates also shared their own job-hunting difficulties, saying they had sent out numerous applications and attended multiple interviews without receiving any offers.
Some commenters said securing a full-time job immediately after graduation is already fortunate in the current climate, adding that a monthly salary of more than HK$20,000 is reasonable for a fresh graduate.
Others joked that they would be grateful if their own children could find stable full-time work straight out of university.
Despite the family tension, the poster clarified that the role is a standard banking position rather than a management trainee post. He added that while some friends had secured higher-paying investment banking jobs, he saw healthy competition as motivation.
