Average Salary in Hong Kong

Table of Contents

How much do Hong Kong workers make?

The average monthly wage in Hong Kong is 36,600 HKD. The median salary in Hong Kong is HKD 200,000.

44.6% of the people in Hong Kong make less than HKD 26,000 which is US$3,300 per month.

This includes three-quarters of all pensioners. Only 3% of people in Hong Kong have a monthly salary of over 100,000 HKD.

Salary Distribution in Hong Kong

Pay Scale

Hong Kong salaries start at 9,260 HKD. Most people make between 18,000 to 28,000 HKD. People who work in government or large companies can make up to 145,000 HKD.

Median Wage

The median monthly wage is 38,100 HKD, which implies half of the population earns less than 38,100 HKD and the other half earns more. The median hourly wage is 18.2 HKD, which implies half of the population earns less than 18.2 HKD and the other half earns more.

Percentiles

25% of the population earns less than 21,300 HKD whereas 75% earn more. This gives an ‘average’ salary in Hong Kong of 35,000 HKD. Percentiles are used for showing graphical data and information about a group for some statistical element, such as income.

The advantage of using percentiles is that it does not matter what scale the original data set was on, percentiles will work.

How much does the median salary vary from the average salary?

The median salary is the number that lies exactly in the middle of all salaries. The average salary is the aggregate of all salaries, measured by adding up all the numbers and dividing them by how many numbers there are.

While these two statistics seem very closely related, there can be a large difference between what one makes with a median salary versus an average salary.

Salary by Experience

How does one’s pay grow in Hong Kong?

Employees are paid according to their experience. If you have been working for less than two years, you will go on probation during which time your pay will be HKD4150/month.

The first year of work will see an increase to HKD5500/month, followed by an increase to HKD6650/month in the second year, and up to HKD8200/month once you become a full-fledged employee.

Salary By Education

What role does education have on income?

Salary in Hong Kong is highly attributed to the education level of the worker.

Preschool and elementary school teachers earn $47,700 a year on average.

With about $1 million HKD median salary, professions such as medical doctors and surgeons earn even more with an average annual income of $1.5-2 million HKD yearly. M

ost professionals can expect a raise after 10 years and additional training or higher studies can lead to much bigger incomes over time.

On the other hand, workers who have either less education or do not work advance their career tend to be paid lower than those who are better educated.

For instance, cleaners only make around $28,000 HKD annually while technicians sometimes still take home less than $30,000 a year.

In conclusion, education has a great impact on the incomes of workers in Hong Kong

Workers who have either less education or do not work advance their career tend to be paid lower than those who are better educated even though the median wage is about $1 million HKD.

Gender Pay Gap in Hong Kong

Male workers in Hong Kong earn 7% more than female employees in all industries.

This is due to the fact that women are mostly offered career paths that require them to work longer hours, and they are also discriminated against when it comes down to promotions.

Women workers are still expected to get married and take care of kids according to traditional gender roles, while men are encouraged to focus on their careers.

However, women in Hong Kong are slowly narrowing the gap by getting more education than their male counterparts.

The Ministry of Women has also put heavy regulations on companies who discriminate against women employees; however, these regulations have done little to close the pay gap.

Annual Salary Increment in Hong Kong

What is the yearly wage increase in Hong Kong? How frequently do workers receive raises?

Hong Kong residents have a standard working week of 44 hours, and they usually work overtime.

The employees in Hong Kong receive a basic wage with benefits such as provident fund, annual wage increment, and so on. The average salary in Hong Kong is 33,000 HKD per month.

In general, the basic pay would not change unless there were exceptional circumstances which meant that it had to be revised upwards or downwards; thus most workers will receive either no increase or a very small one.

An annual increment is granted only to deserving members of staff who had served outstandingly well throughout the year (performance appraisal) instead of issued at specific periods (e.g. six-monthly, yearly) as is the case in other countries.

Annual Industry Increment Rate

Energy – 5%
Education – 4%
Technology – 4%
Business Services – 3.5%
Healthcare – 2.5%

When an industry is doing well, it’s not uncommon for companies to give their employees more frequent and larger increases.

In general, a company’s prospects are intimately tied to the overall state of the economy in the nation or area in which it operates. These numbers are subject to periodic revision.

Average Salary Increase Rates by Level of Experience in Hong Kong

Salaries in Hong Kong are known to be very high in comparison to most countries

The overall salary increase rate by level of experience is shown below:

Entry Level – 11%
5 Years’ Experience – 10%
12+ Years Experience – 6%

This means that an entry-level employee who has just started working in the company will likely get a pay raise of around 11%.

Employees with more than 12 years of experience should expect a pay rise at a much lower rate of 6%. Furthermore, employees who have been at this company for five years may also see a pay raise somewhere between 10-11% as well.

Employees with less than five years of experience usually see an increase of around 10% as well.

Hong Kong Bonus & Reward Rates

How much and how often are bonuses given out to Hong Kong workers?

Hong Kong employees receive bonuses based on merit or performance. The value of annual bonuses can be up to 14% of the salary for senior positions and more than 3-4 times the monthly salary for top management positions.

Hong Kong has a very competitive labor market, meaning that it is not always necessary to give out high amounts in order to attract and retain qualified staff members.

Collectively, bonuses can account for around 40-50% of an individual’s annual salary in leading sectors such as banking and finance.

Different Types of Bonuses

Bonuses for Individual Performance

Individual performance bonuses are monetary or non-monetary rewards that managers may give to an employee for increased productivity and exceptional work.

This is given to us when a company or manager feels that a single employee has performed exceptionally well and is deserving of a prize, cash bonus, or some other sort of recognition. These bonuses are often given on their own, separate from salary and benefits.

Bonuses for Company Performance

These bonuses are usually given in a lump sum and may or may not be taxed. Bonuses for company performance are good because it will give people better incentive to work harder, keeping motivation high and also company morale up.

On the other hand, they might cause some dissatisfaction when workers don’t get the expected bonus even if there has been good company performance. Some companies will also use bonuses as a way of saving on wages and so this could cause some problems with workers.

Some people might see it as unfair that the bosses get bonuses when they are already earning very good salaries for their work.

Bonuses can sometimes be used as a way of rewarding top management or directors without actually increasing the basic wage, making them feel overworked and underappreciated.

Bonuses Based on Goals Achieved

Goal-based rewards are a great way to get your employees to work towards their goals.

They are a popular reward option because they set the employee up for success by putting them in control of what type of reward they will receive and keeping them accountable for achieving that goal.

There are many types of goal-based rewards that you can give your employees. Some examples include paid time off, gift cards, technology, cash bonuses/raises, and lunches with the CEO.

Holiday / Year-End Bonuses

These are small monetary rewards given to employees by an employer in the spirit of the holiday season or at the time of year when bonuses are typically paid. These awards are often presented during festive office parties with lots of company-supplied food and drink, but sometimes they can be handed out on “bonus day.”

Holiday / Year-End Bonuses come in several different forms depending on the size of the business and can include:

Cash bonuses added to paychecks throughout December
Paid vacation days
Discounts on future purchases
Gift cards from stores like Amazon or iTunes
Donation made to a favorite charity chosen by the employee
Stock options that allow them to buy shares in their company at a discount

Comparing Bonus Rates by Career Field

What qualifies a job as deserving of substantial incentives and a high salary in Hong Kong?

A job is deserving of substantial incentives and a high salary if it has a vital role in society, the economy, or the company.

For example, managers typically receive more remuneration than manual laborers because their work is not just limited to one or two tasks but requires them to monitor and problem-solve for the whole team.

In Hong Kong, professions such as finance and engineering are considered to be essential and thus attractive to the high payout, while jobs pertaining to manual labor or service-related professions such as restaurant staff or baristas typically do not receive a high salary.

Many people may think that a job is only worth the salary if it requires a lot of effort and time, but this is an outdated way of thinking. With technological advancements today, even jobs that used to require long periods of manual work often now can be automated.

In fact, many companies actually prefer investing their money into machines as they are more cost-efficient in the long run for things like manufacturing purposes.

Comparing Bonuses Based on Seniority in Hong Kong

Bonuses are based on years of experience, or seniority. Companies usually have a method in place to determine what percentage increase an employee may receive for their annual bonus.

It is worth noting that these bonuses are mostly dependent upon the company one works for and the country they reside in. In Hong Kong, senior workers are usually given larger bonuses compared to their junior colleagues.

The average bonus for workers in 2015 based on seniority is as follows:

Junior staff members:

2nd year – no bonus or a few hundred dollars
3rd year – around HKD 10,000 (US$ 1,280)
4th year – between HKD 30,000 and 50,000 (US$ 3,720 – US$ 6,350)

Employees with five years of experience:

5th year – as high as HKD 100,000 (US$ 12,800)6th year – around HKD 200,000 (US$ 25,600)
7th year – between HKD 300,000 and 500,000 (US$ 38,500 – US$ 71,000)
8th year – over HKD 400,000 (US$ 50,800)
9th year onwards – at least one million dollars (US$ 128, 000)

Senior workers who have over ten years of experience are given bonuses that could reach up to two million Hong Kong dollars.

Bonuses for senior employees are normally decided upon by the company’s board of directors.

Salary Figures For Popular Jobs in Hong Kong

Bilingual

Teacher – 25,900 HKD
Translator – 30,500 HKD

Care Giving and Child Care

Nanny – 14,600 HKD
Nursery Teacher – 12,900 HKD
Housekeeper – 14,200 HKD

Customer Service

Receptionist – 19,500 HKD
Telemarketer – 20,000 HKD
Substitute Teacher- 25,000 HKD
Waiter / Waitress – 26,300 HKD
Tour Guide – 31,700 HKD
Customer Care Supervisor – 18,000 HKD

Marketing and Sales

Marketing Assistant – 29,100 HKD
Retail Sales – 17,000 HKD
Sales Executive – 18,700 HKD
Photographer / Camera Operator – 27,200 HKD
Public Relations Officer – 14,500 HKD

Printing and Publishing

Counter Clerk- 22,800 HKD
Production Manager – 26,100 HKD
Sale Representative- 15,000-20,000 HKD

Transportation and Logistics

Freight Forwarder – 22,500 HKD
Shipping Clerk- 15,000 HKD
Storeperson – 14,100 HKD

Office and Administrative Support

Administrative Assistant – 25,200 HKD
Receptionist – 19,500 HKD
Business Development Executive- 29,700-35,000 HKD
Secretary – 18,400 HKD
Office Clerk – 16,800-22,500 HKD
Quality Assurance and Control Inspector- 22,000 HKD

Medical and Health

Nurse – 16,500-25,000 HKD
Housekeeper – 14,200 HKD
Dental Assistant – 22,400 HKD
Medical Secretary- 18,800-22,400HKD

Legal and Human Resources

Legal Secretary – 25,100 HKD
Human Resources (HR) Assistant – 23,500 HKD
Quality Control and Assurance Clerk – 21,700 HKD

Hourly Wage in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, the average hourly salary (pay per hour) is 210 HKD. This equates to an average hourly wage of around 210 HKD in Hong Kong. Many people receive a salary in Hong Kong.

Salary Comparisons Between the Public and Private Sectors in Hong Kong

Employees in the public sector in Hong Kong earn, on average, 10% more than their private-sector colleagues across all industries.

Employees in Hong Kong’s public sector also enjoy more vacation time than their private-sector counterparts – up to 20 days more per year.

They are entitled to 13 paid days off for holidays, which includes weekends and one day during Chinese New Year no matter how short their service, plus five additional days for workers with at least three years’ service.

In addition, they have two other statutory holidays as well as up to six weeks of paid annual leave each year.

In comparison, employees in the private sector have to work for at least three years before they are entitled to statutory holidays and five working days’ annual leave, although the law does not specify this as a minimum requirement.