1. business and industrial

KELLY SERVICES ® HONG KONG
2015
SALARY GUIDE

KELLY SERVICES IN HONG KONG
ell ® is
or une
len ser ices ro ider h
n ong Kong i h our ell
for n co
n o build
oi
s eci li es in
full r nge of offerings r nging fro
T len olu ion co rising recrui en consul nc
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recrui
nd ou sourcing
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ing i si
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OUR INSIGHTFUL SEARCHES BASED ON QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY
Kelly ecruit ent ne er fills c ncies i h b rr ge of
s. ur resourceful consul n s le er ge uni ue len
ing rocess nd
e ensi e referr l ne or o in oin erfec l
u lified c ndid es. hen screening o en i l hires our e er rofession ls
close
en ion o bench r ing e ch erson s erson li
nd or e hics g ins differen cor or e lues nd cul ures.
ur s rong e
of consul n s re s eci lis s in he re s of:
anking
inance
ngineering
inance
ccounting
ealt care
ife ciences
u an esources
n ustrial
nsurance
ales
arketing
nfor ation ec nology
eleco
unication


THE BESPOKE TALENT MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCY
Kelly onsult ncy oge her i h our sis er co
ing ud o re ined e ecu i e se rch
n
T onsul n s offer
ide r nge of
n ge en ssess en nd c reer r nsi ion.
consul nc ser ices fro
ilored T len
T onsul n s unli e o her e ecu i e se rch fir s hich refer
onsul nc
s s o o her co
nies or di isions in he office h e heir
consul n s rofession ll cer ified in ei her len ssess en e ecu i e co ching c reer r nsi ion or in heir res ec i e len
n ge en
s eci l ies.
sed on borderless se rch
ro ch designed o f cili e ro
nd efficien se rches cross
r e s he consul n s
T
re ll di erse nd e erienced in ul i cul ur l en iron en s nd
n of he e en s e
hree or ore l ngu ges.
2
INNOVATIVE OUTSOURCING SOLUTION
Kelly Outsourcing is our clien s e ended office.
core businesses. The offerings include:

e
e c re of heir
und ne
s s so h
heir s ff c n be freed u
o build heir
Independent Contractor Solution ro ides for clien s ho re in need of e or r s ffing or longer er con r c ing solu ions. o
er he re loo ing o recrui e or r office s ff for rofession l roles in fin nce ccoun ing
gener l d inis r i e osi ions
or he re co
nies hose n ure of business re uires l rge nu ber of len s for onl
fini e eriod of i e or he si l h e n
i ending need o recrui des i e heir li i ed he dcoun he ill be ble o benefi fro our lu ble con ingen
len ool. ell h s
round
con r c or nd e or r s ff or ing for our rious clien s in ong ong.

Recruitment Process Outsourcing r c ice at Kelly is glob l le der in en er rise ide recrui ing l ce en nd re en ion
hich
efficien l sources nd
ches o
u li
len cross ll disci lines ob le els nd geogr hies o differen cor or e cul ures.
Business Process Outsourcing co bines s r egic e er ise nd ro en con rolled rocesses i h full ccoun bili
boos ing roduc i i efficienc
nd hel s o lo er cos s hile offering su erior cus o er s isf c ion le els.
in ll re s
Contingent Workforce Outsourcing sui e of ser ices co rises co rehensi e f il of inde enden l con r c or
n ged solu ions
such s e lu ion cl ssific ion nd ris
i ig ion. i i ing our clien s e osure o li bili fines nd en l ies ssoci ed i h or er
iscl ssific ion Contingent Workforce Outsourcing lso
es i e sier for clien s o ccess cri ic l len .
onnec i h us on in ed n nd
isi
. ell ser ices.co .h
ceboo .
3
CONTENTS

5
Executive Overview
6
Banking & Finance
9
Corporate Professionals: Finance & Accounting / HR / Legal
14
Healthcare & Life Sciences
17
Industrial
20
Information Technology & Telecommunication
26
Insurance
29
Sales & Marketing
Methodology: Salary figures included in the 2014/15 Hong Kong Salary Guide are derived by combining expert market knowledge of Kelly Services’ senior recruitment professionals,
with database of job placement data collected from clients.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission from Kelly Services Hong Kong. The information contained in the
Salary Guide is intended for educational purposes only. Kelly Services Hong Kong takes no responsibility for any liabilities that emerge based on the information contained in this guide.
4

Executive Overview

We are pleased to share our views on Hong Kong’s
employment outlook and salary forecast in our Kelly Services
Hong Kong 2015 Salary Guide. The collection of job titles
and salary ranges are a reflection of actual engagement
between employers and employees, and they represent an
accurate picture of the marketplace.
Going into 2015, the unemployment rate of Hong Kong is likely
to remain very low at slightly above 3%, as it has been in 2014.
Clients will continue to battle for high-caliber talents with the
right cultural fit, but in a sensible and prudent manner. The
high-wage talent attraction mania that appeared a handful of
years ago is not likely to rear its head in the course of the year.
In 2015, the U.S. is expected to ride on a comeback, Japan
and Western Europe are rebounding slower than expected,
while China will have a healthy but vigilant growth in
transition from investment to consumption. Given an exportoriented economy and very much affected by external
markets, Hong Kong is shrouded by the uncertainty of the
global market. According to Hong Kong’s Financial
Secretary, John Tsang in his annual budget speech, the
year 2015 is a challenging year and Hong Kong’s economy
is expected to grow between 1% and 3%.
In the commercial arena, front-line customer service roles
across industries continue to be in high demand. To address
the impending workforce issues and for the long term, the
government has been encouraging the market to unearth
hidden talents and to fully capitalize on the existing labor pool.
This includes delaying the retirement age, encouraging
stay-home mothers to return to the workforce, and retraining
unemployed workers to reduce skill mismatch in the market
place.
As one of the most popular regional headquarters in Asia
Pacific and with the Mainland-Hong Kong Closer Economic
Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) allowing Hong Kong
service suppliers to enjoy tariff-free preferential treatment in
entering into the mainland, we believe Hong Kong will
continue to attract foreign companies who seek further
business expansion opportunities in Asia and China.
Furthermore, launched in November, 2014, the Hong
Kong Stock Connect will continue to bring in a fresh flow of
funds to invigorate the stock market between Hong Kong
and the mainland China. The stable growth in most
industries will persist. Nonetheless, with Hong Kong dollar
pegged to the foreseeable strong U.S. dollar, Hong Kong’s
attractiveness in exports, retail and tourism may be
undermined when compared to our APAC neighbors.

Apart from the government’s effort, as responsible HR
professionals, it is also our responsibility to help Hong Kong
secure a favorable future and promote a healthy hiring climate.
At Kelly, we are dedicated to support Hong Kong’s labor
market, and help you weather the hiring challenges ahead. This
Salary Guide is but a start to our commitment this year. We look
forward to introducing to you our 2015 company initiatives, and
to sharing with you our studies and data to help you identify
talent solutions that meet your needs.
Alan Wong
Managing Director
Kelly Services Hong Kong
5
BANKING & FINANCE
anks
ill generall re ain onser ati e in t eir iring fo
sing
ainl on repla e ent ires
e en e generating positions in lo al Markets an front line opport nities in ealt Manage ent ill ontin e to e in
e an in
ri ate e it iring on t e ot er an
ill slo
o n alt o g t e fir s ontin e to attra t top
anal sts a ross t e arket
sset Manage ent fir s ill keep gro ing t eir sales an M tea s in
ere is also ig e an for an i ates
it ot tra e finan e an as
anage ent pro
t kno le ge o ple
it soft skills like strong tong a an
e perien e in ealing it
ina orporates
e s ortage of re it risk professionals is still going to e a allenge for
e plo ers going for ar
rt er t e e an for isk an
o plian e an i ates re ain ig
perational isk nternal
it an
orporate
o ernan e are like ise fo al points as t e in str ontin e to in rease ontrol an
ra onian approa es to M
nti ri er an
orr ption an ot er areas in response to reg lator e an s e an for an i ates in areas
s
as
lient on oar ing ser i es an tra e s pport ere also onstant t t e start of t e ear ri ate anking
o plian e professionals re ain in ig e an
t s ort s ppl espe iall t ose
o speak fl ent tong a

Salaries are e pe te to re ain fairl sta le a ross all se tors in t e in str
it an i ates ontin ing to e an etter
ork life alan e in t e fa e of s aller on ses
en preparing for o inter ie s an i ates s o l e a are t at
o panies are aking t e inter ie pro esses ore stringent as e plo ers nee to ens re all riteria are et at
onstraine
gets n a erage e anti ipate salar in re ent of
for anking professionals
6

BANKING & FINANCE


7
BANKING & FINANCE


8
CORPORATE PROFESSIONALS:
FINANCE & ACCOUNTING / HR / LEGAL
Hong Kong is expected to see a year of prudence and steady growth for most businesses in 2015. At the start of
the year, we already saw clients turn more cautious in hiring their back office professionals. Clients also demand
seeing more candidates before making hiring decisions, and selection processes are taking longer – from an
average of two to three months to three to four months.
Regardless, the hiring of finance & accounting professionals will continue to stay strong in the commercial sector.
D emand in roles pertaining to financial planning and analysis, compensation and benefits analysis, internal audit and
compliance will remain high.

As of January, 2015, Hong Kong had 7,500 overseas and mainland offices registered, of which half were regional
hubs or regional offices. We foresee there will be more companies seeking business opportunities in APAC and/ or
China, setting up their offices in Hong Kong. As the trend of back office consolidation continues to take place in
some multinational companies, finance, HR and legal functions will invariably be consolidated and settled in either
the Greater China or in regional hubs. Therefore, hiring heads are expected to recruit staff who are willing to travel,
and proficient in English and Putonghua. On the other hand, this also triggers the outsourcing of accounting and HR
functions to professional firms, such as the Big 4 accounting firms and the professional HR consulting firms. The setup of these consultancy services will create hiring activities in the professional arena.

W e foresee a salary increment of 12-13% for finance professionals and HR professionals in job switching.
9
CORPORATE PROFESSIONALS (FINANCE & ACCOUNTING / HR / LEGAL)
OCCUPATION TITLE
EXPERIENCE (YRS)
RANGE OF ANNUAL BASE SALARY (HKD)
Finance
Financial Accounting

CFO
12 - 15+
1.0m - 2.0m
Director
10 - 15+
1.0m - 1.5m
Regional Controller
8 - 12+
720k - 1.0m
Controller
8 - 12+
650k - 720k
Finance Manager
5 - 10+
480k - 650k
Accountant
3 - 5+
AP / AR Accountant
0
320k - 480k
3 - 5+
200k - 320k
Head of Audit
10 - 15+
1.0m+
Internal Audit Manager
5 - 10+
720k - 1.0m
Internal Auditor
3 - 5+
480k - 650k
10+
720k - 1.0m
Manager
8 - 10+
650k - 720k
Senior Analyst
5 - 8+
480k - 650k
Analyst
3 - 5+
320k - 480k
Audit / Internal Control
Management Accounting and Planning & Analysis
Head of Planning & Analysis
10

CORPORATE PROFESSIONALS (FINANCE & ACCOUNTING / HR / LEGAL)
OCCUPATION TITLE
EXPERIENCE (YRS)
RANGE OF ANNUAL BASE SALARY (HKD)
Finance
Treasury
Head of Treasury
8 - 10+
1.0m+
Treasury Accountant
3 - 8+
480k - 650k
HR & Administration
HR Generalist

Director
10 - 15+
Regional Manager
0
1.0m - 1.5m
8 - 12+
600k - 1.0m
Manager
5 - 10+
480k - 720k
Executive/officer
3 - 5+
260k - 360k
Director
10 - 15+
1.0m+
Regional Manager
8 - 12+
600k - 1.0m
Manager
5 - 10+
450k - 720k
Executive/officer
3 - 5+
250k - 360k

Compensation & Benefits
11
CORPORATE PROFESSIONALS (FINANCE & ACCOUNTING / HR / LEGAL)
OCCUPATION TITLE
EXPERIENCE (YRS)
RANGE OF ANNUAL BASE SALARY (HKD)
HR & Administration
Talent Acquisition
Director
10 - 15+
1.0m+
Regional Manager
8 - 12+
600k - 1.0m
Manager
5 - 10+
450k - 720k
Executive/officer
3 - 5+
250k - 360k
Director
10 - 15+
1.0m +
Regional Manager
8 - 12+
600k - 1.0m
Manager
5 - 10+
450k - 720k
Executive/officer
3 - 5+
250k - 360k
Office Manager
6 - 10
250k - 360k
Office Manager
3-5
250k - 360k
Personal Assistant
6 - 10
360k - 420k
Personal Assistant
3-5
250k - 360k
Executive Secretary
6 - 10
360k - 420k
Executive Secretary
3-5
250k - 360k
Administrative Manager
0 - 10
250k - 360k
Training & Development

Business Support
12

CORPORATE PROFESSIONALS (FINANCE & ACCOUNTING / HR / LEGAL)
OCCUPATION TITLE
EXPERIENCE (YRS)
RANGE OF ANNUAL BASE SALARY (HKD)
Legal
Lawyer (Qualified Solicitors only)
General Counsel
8+ PQE
720k - 1.5m
In House Counsel
4 - 7 PQE
720k - 1.5m
In House Counsel
1 - 3 PQE
480k - 720k
Paralegal
10+
600k+
Paralegal
8+
360k - 480k
Paralegal
4-7
220k - 360k
Paralegal
1-3
220k - 360k
Named Company Secretary
5+
720k - 1.0m
Company Secretary
5+
420k - 720k
1-3
264k - 360k
Paralegal


Company Secretary
Company Secretarial Assistant
13
HEALTHCARE & LIFE SCIENCES
In 2015, we will continue to witness midsized international pharmaceutical companies looking for
growth opportunities in Asia, and to set up their offices in Hong Kong. Hong Kong will continue to
offer good choice for regional office alongside Singapore and Shanghai, for its reliable business
infrastructure and reputable medical service standards. Hong Kong’s proximity to China also
provides convenience for companies to source Chinese herbal medicine for further refinery and
commercial dealing. The biotech R&D research government funding to promote locally generated
biotechnology-based innovations in Hong Kong, continues to hold to its attraction.
Although pharmaceutical manufacturing in Hong Kong remains small-scaled, Hong Kong still as
a goo presen e of international p ar a e ti al o panies as ost of t ese o panies a e
esta lis e t eir of es in ong ong
it fe er e patriates in senior anage ent positions
lo al professionals it
ina an international e perien e tra el e perien e an lang age skills
ontin e to e a so g t after for senior anage ent roles
e ontin e to foresee a e an in
sales an
arketing professionals
I n-field professionals may expect around 5 to 10 percent salary increment in 2015. Therefore
better career prospects will be vital to induce candidates to move.

14

HEALTHCARE & LIFE SCIENCE


15
HEALTHCARE & LIFE SCIENCES


16
INDUSTRIAL
The industrial sector broadly comprises construction and transport, chemical,
energy, electronics and manufacturing.

Though the U.S. economy seemed to have turned around, the global economy
is still clouted with uncertainty given the yet-to-settle European market and the
relatively slower growth projection of China. However, with the proliferation of
smart phone applications, and the introduction and popularization of 3D
printing technology, largely eliminating the need for tool production and thus
reducing cost, lead time and associated labor costs, the electronics and
manufacturing sectors should see solid and steady growth in 2015. Yet, as the
manufacturing plants in China continue to contract, Hong Kong professionals
and factory managers are willing to take pay-cuts to return to Hong Kong,
meanwhile those working in Hong Kong are expected to frequent their travels.
On the other hand, the mid-level roles in the energy market will be relatively
more active in the hiring market, as candidates seek improved career
advancement and work-life balance.

As huge infrastructure projects in Hong Kong and APAC continue to
proliferate, the hiring of construction and transport professionals, both local
and cross-border, will be active in 2015. The market will continue to need
candidates for roles such as quantity surveyors, architects, E&M engineers,
project managers, and green and sustainability consultants, etc. The average
salary increment for job switch will be around 10 to 15 percent.
17
INDUSTRIAL


18
INDUSTRIAL


19
Information Technology and Telecommunication
e in str in both the commercial and banking sectors, will enjoy another year of stability in 2015. s t e in o se str
e o e leaner
pro e t or f n tional o tso r ing e o es ore pre alent iring in
ill e ri en ainl
t e
repla e ents in t e o
er ial an anking se tors an t e ne
ires of t e professional ser i e in stries
t re as
As the smart phone technology continues to advance, there will be more overseas mobile app companies setting up their offices and
headquarters in Hong Kong. We foresee a growing demand for mobile app developers across the different sectors.
er t e past ears an f n tions ent t ro g restr t ring an a e e o e leaner an atter s a res lt roles a e
o ine The new roles tend to demand candidates to have more all-rounded technical skills, ranging from knowledge in
infrastructure, networking to programming. The new hires are expected to possess not only solid technical skills, but also a st rong
business sense with an international mindset.
Junior to mid-level positions, especially for contract roles, will be in high demand in 2015. The permanent to contract headcount in an
average company is around 1: 4. The average salary increment for a job switch will be 10% for permanent positions, and 10-15% for
contract roles.

e nfor ation an
o
ni ation e nolog
arket comprising the telecommunication companies ( telcos) , software
and hardware vendors and the system integrators ( SI) , will also have a stable year in 2015.
Of the three sectors, the hiring market among the SIs will be the most active. Not only are hardware and software vendors active in
the ICT solutions market, there will also be the emergence of many overseas small to medium-sized SIs with 20 to 100 headcount.
When compared to the telcos, these emerging SIs are more flexible in decision making and culture, and attract talents of both
permanent and contract candidates alike.
Challenged by high rent, continued inflation and keen competition, the telcos often have a tight budget control, which is reflected in the
hiring package they offer. For job switches, the salary increment for telcos would be below 10%; while that for the vendors, for example,
networking consultants and hardware suppliers, would be around 15%. As telcos demand high caliber candidates and are prudent with
their hiring decisions, there may be a gap between the desired candidates’ expectation and what the hirers are willing to offer. As a
result, there will be a tug-of-war at the decision making stage and the hiring process will often be drawn out. While enjoying steady
growth, going forward, the telcos will need to work harder on both their talent acquisition and retention strategies in order to remain
competitive.
Across the board in 2015, there will be an increase in demand for roles like corporate sales, pre-sales consultants, product managers,
business development managers and channel managers.
20

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATION


21
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATION


22
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATION


2
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATION


2
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATION


INSURANCE
2014 was a productive year for the insurance market, with many major company changes. Companies have emerged stronger and more
stable after a series of acquisitions and mergers. Life insurance business remained robust, and non-life insurance enjoyed growth
particularly in the area of construction and employee health and benefits. The change in regulations and employee scheme in 2014,
have resulted in high demand for compliance, underwriting and actuary professionals. The shortage of job-seeking professionals in the
market has compelled the hirers to pay up to 50% to induce talents to switch jobs.
Looking at 2015, Hong Kong’s mature life insurance market is expected to enjoy modest growth with periodic product upgrades,
notwithstanding the challenges brought about by the new regulations. For example, new rules have been introduced to compel
improvement in the transparency of investment linked assurance schemes, and this has created business development constraints to
e en t e lea ing life ins rers
e non life se tor ill e perien e gro t as a res lt of t e ario s a iation a i ents triggering the gearing up of aviation insurance.
As the growth of marine insurance stabilizes, motor insurance will continue to be another area of growth as business exchange between
Hong Kong and China intensifies, allowing for more cross border transportation between Hong Kong and China.
2015 will be the employees’ market as Hong Kong continues to lack experienced professionals from mid-level upwards. Hiring of overseas
Hong Kong returnees are slowing down, while the hiring of China overseas returnees will increase in the area of claims and underwriting,
compliance, finance and legal. English and Putonghua emerge as the key languages demanded by hirers. On the other hand, the
actuary and finance consultancy outsourcing trend has decelerated, as the consultation fees are getting more expensive. This may cause
the insurance companies to gradually beef up their hiring in these areas.

As a side note, leading insurance companies are willing to hire more junior officers from local universities. Yet the lacking of a career
advancement plans has made retention among junior staff, especially in the area of claims and underwriting, more difficult. Going
forward, HR departments will need to put more focus in their retention and trainee training and development plans. Hopefully, this will
help to bring up the quality of local insurance professionals, giving them a more promising career path, thus solving the industry’s
talent shortage problem in long term.
Overall, we expect a 15% to 20% salary increment for new hires, and around 3% to 5% for natural progression.
26

INSURANCE


27
INSURANCE


28
SALES & MARKETING
We foresee Sales & Marketing candidates to be in demand in 2015. Firstly, in spite of the Occupy Central incident,
Hong Kong remains an attractive location for overseas companies to set up their regional headquarters. Secondly,
the global big data trend driven by cloud computing and mobile computing will continue to drive up the talent
demand of certain skill sets, such as digital marketing, CRM, data analyses, SEO and SEM. These roles have been
and will continue to be hot across industries.
Unlike product marketing or other marketing roles, the experience of Digital Marketers and Digital Analytics Managers
seem to be more widely applicable across industries. We foresee demand for Digital Marketers with proven project
experience to be hotly pursued. Hong Kong digital marketers will be more sought after by regional headquarters and
local offices in Hong Kong; whereas those experienced in mainland China-centric social media platforms will continue to
be engaged exclusively for the China market. As a result of the high demand, we foresee aggressive recruitment,
resulting in a possible trend of job hopping in these roles. Employers should therefore put more effort in staff retention.

Apart from Digital and CRM/ Database Marketing, we also anticipate relatively more new hires in the financial
industry, especially in the sectors of insurance and bancassurance. New roles will be recruited for ‘agency marketing’,
in search of professionals with event management and loyalt marketing experiences. The continued marketing focus
on ‘high net worth clients’ calls for those with China marketing and luxury marketing exposures.

The fast-moving IT & T industry will also generate new job openings for product marketing and junior to middle sales
roles to support their new product launches, business expansion and development plans.
On the other hand, the Hong Kong retail market will continue to fall into an adjustment period brought forward from
2014. Affected by China’s anti-corruption campaign and the relatively strong USD-pegged Hong Kong dollar, the
growth of the Hong Kong luxury retail market has slowed down. We expect growth in tier-two luxury and mass retail
to continue, and we see brands in this sector continue to set up their flagship stores in Hong Kong. As consumers
demand more organic and natural beauty products, new overseas brands emerge in HK. In 2015, we foresee the
beauty sector to outgrow other retail sectors. As many of the luxury retail brands have frozen their headcounts, going
forward, new vacancies will mainly come from frontline staff openings, with contract and temporary staff positions
continually on the rise.
The overall salary increment for Sales & Marketing professionals is expected to be around 15% to 20% for job switch.
29
SALES & MARKETING


3
SALES & MARKETING


31
SALES & MARKETING


32
SALES & MARKETING

33