Surveys of hiring managers and companies have found that most professionals in Hong Kong can expect pay rises this year, with more than a third predicted to receive up to 2.4 per cent and others as much as 5 per cent.
At the lower end, the rate is above the latest official forecast of 1.8 per cent growth in headline inflation this year, while civil servants are facing a pay freeze amid the government’s efforts to tackle its HK$87.2 billion (US$11.2 billion) deficit.
International recruitment agency Hays, which surveyed hiring managers from Hong Kong and five other jurisdictions late last year, said 77 per cent of professionals in the city could expect a raise this year.
“The outlook in Hong Kong has improved from 2024, with organisations looking to provide increments to more working professionals this year,” the company said.
It surveyed 3,670 hiring managers and 8,790 professionals in Hong Kong, mainland China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. They included 304 hiring managers and 746 professionals in the city.
Only a fifth of the organisations polled did not expect to adjust salaries, and 3 per cent said they would be making pay cuts.
