market trends salary reportwelcome to the 2016 ambition market trends and salary report for hong...

Market TrendsSalary Report&

2016 HONG KONG

CONTENTS

01

03

04

02Hong Kong Market Overview

pg 04

pg 27

pg 36

Market Trends Survey

About Ambition

Banking & Financial Services pg 06Finance & Accounting pg 12

pg 22Technology

pg 14Sales & Marketing

pg 20Supply Chain & Procurement

Introduction

Welcome to the 2016 Ambition Market Trends and Salary Report for Hong Kong. This report offers a comprehensive overview of salary ranges for Finance & Accounting, Banking & Financial Services, Sales & Marketing, Supply Chain & Procurement and Technology professionals in Hong Kong, as well as commentary and key insights on the employment market across our specialist practice areas.

although there were a number of global economic and political issues that impacted the employment market both at home and abroad, overall the employment market in Hong Kong remained relatively stable. The slowdown in the growth of the mainland economy has impacted some industry sectors in Hong Kong, most noticeably the luxury retail sector which was hit by more stringent anti-corruption regulations in China. However, across other industry sectors and job functions, hiring activity in Hong Kong was strong throughout 2015, especially within Compliance & Risk, Internal Audit, IT Audit, Digital Marketing, IT Security, Big Data and Cloud Computing.

The emergence of cloud computing, mobile and digital technologies continues to create a high demand in Hong Kong for individuals with niche skillsets. Professionals such as Mobile

Developers with iOS and Android skills, Digital Marketing, Content Managers, eCommerce professionals, Data Analytic Specialists and SEO/SEM experts have been particularly sought after.

Within Financial Services, the largest volumes of hires during 2015 were still within Audit, Compliance & Risk with banks responding to negative headlines around the world regarding the violation of banking regulations and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) policies.

What is very clear across all industry sectors is that competition for quality talent in Hong Kong is high and is expected to remain intense in 2016. The attraction and retention of high quality staff remains a high priority for the majority of employers in Hong Kong. As well as salary increases and performance-based

Looking back over 2015,

Introduction

2016Welcome

to the

for Hong KongMarket Trends & Salary Report

Ambition

MARKET TRENDS & SALARY REPORT 2016 HONG KONG4 AMBITION

Chris AuklandManaging Director, Hong Kong

incentives, focusing on creating an Employer Value Proposition (EVP), including a positive culture and rewarding career opportunities, is high on many employers’ agenda. We have seen many organisations placing a greater emphasis on initiatives around increasing the diversity of their workforce and creating a more flexible workplace with such initiatives having been shown to increase employee engagement and increase retention.

In 2016, we expect the ‘war for talent’ to intensify and competitive remuneration remains a key retention and attraction factor. At present, digital and emerging technology specialists across all industry sectors can expect higher premiums as demand outweighs supply. In Financial Services, Compliance professionals, especially those with AML/sanctions, experience are amongst the most sought after professionals in today’s employment market and can demand some of the highest pay increases in the market of between 15-35% when changing roles. In other sectors, we expect salary rises when changing employers to be typically between 10-20%. We also foresee year on year salary increases to range between 3-5% and above for top performers.

I am pleased to announce that Ambition is celebrating 15 years in Hong Kong in 2016 and I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for your continued support. Please do get in touch as we would be delighted to assist you with specific market or salary advice and recruitment within your business.

Kind Regards,

MARKET TRENDS & SALARY REPORT 2016 HONG KONG 5AMBITION

Banking & Financial Services

Finance

2015 was another year dominated by the needs in the Control and Governance space where financial institutions continued to strengthen and build further in Compliance, Audit and Risk functions. With increasing demands in these areas and a shortage of qualified local candidates, professionals with the relevant background were highly sought after, receiving above market salary packages.

There was also a healthy volume of middle to back office recruitment activity in the banking sector across the mid to mid-senior levels. Non-bank financial institutions like insurance and asset management firms also saw active expansion in Hong Kong.

Looking ahead in 2016, we foresee the Governance theme will continue to be the key driver for both permanent and contracting recruitment activities, as financial institutions will still feel the pressure to tighten risk management and controls, strengthen various lines of defence and their governance framework. We will continue to see traditional and non-traditional roles being created across front to back office.

The hot spots of hiring are within the following areas:

Most financial institutions are increasing their headcount in the area of Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) regulatory reporting teams to support reporting requirements imposed by the regulators. As well as adding people to support the routine regulatory reporting process, banks are hiring experienced Finance

Business Analysts or Project Managers to help automate and streamline this process with a long term view.In addition, financial institutions are looking to upgrade their management accounting teams to a more strategic value-add business finance partnership function. With this trend taking place, hiring managers are no

longer looking for the typical management accountants who focus solely on historical data analysis (e.g. variance analysis). Instead, banks are interested in high calibre candidates who are able to come up with insightful, market, competitor, product analysis and provide business centric recommendations and strategies.

Audit Compliance Professionals


Compliance

Operations

Internal Audit

With increasing changes on the regulatory landscape, financial institutions, especially banks, have had significant pressure to strengthen Compliance functions. A large portion of hiring activities are at the AVP and VP levels with a few key hires at Director and Team Head level. Whilst there has been a shortage of candidates available locally, for most roles, clients strongly prefer candidates with local experience or Asia working experience. Areas in demand can be seen in AML, Investigations/Financial Crime Compliance, Product Compliance Advisory, Compliance Testing and Wealth & Asset Management Compliance.

Operations and Middle Office hiring activities have been moderate to low at the senior level. This is due to financial institutions consolidating operations, off-shoring and merging functions. The majority of the vacancies at VP and Director level are internally filled and external hires are mostly seen at Associate and AVP levels.

These hiring areas include Client On-Boarding, Due Diligence/KYC, Prime Services Trade Support, Private Banking Assistants, and Trade Finance Operations. The areas with the most hiring activity are Client-On-Boarding, Fund Accounting/Administration, Middle Office and Client Services.

Internal Audit (IA), one of the hot spots in 2015 continues apace into 2016. Many financial institutions are expanding their IA teams and hiring subject-matter-experts (i.e. experienced internal auditors or professionals directly

from the business units with specific expertise in certain products/business or line functions) to strengthen the financial institution’s control and procedures.Other specialist IA teams dedicated to the Compliance function

have been created to focus on auditing AML, Financial Crime, and Investigations. IA candidates with strong product and business knowledge in Transaction Banking, Corporate Banking, and/or Global Markets are in significant demand.

RiskThere was significant activity around the Business Risk and Operational Risk space in 2015. Business Risk roles were created to be the first line of defence sitting with the front office. Candidates with operational risk experience and relevant business and product knowledge were in demand as a

result. Operational Risk roles were also created in firm-wide functions. Furthermore, an interesting development in the treasury space was where Treasury Risk and Liquidity Risk roles were newly created (usually at the senior level) to support Balance Sheet, Funding and Asset & Liability Management requirements.



Investment Banking

Managing DirectorDirectorVice President Assistant Vice PresidentAssociateAnalyst


Managing DirectorDirectorVice President Assistant Vice President Associate Analyst

Managing DirectorDirectorVice President Assistant Vice President AssociateAnalyst

Managing DirectorDirectorVice PresidentAssistant Vice PresidentAssociateAnalyst

2.2M+1.7M - 2.1M1M - 1.6M600K - 900K360K - 600K300K - 420K

2M+1.5M - 1.8M900K - 1.5M600K - 900K420K - 540K300K - 420K

2.2M+1.8M - 2.1M1.1M - 1.7M720K - 1M360K - 660K300K - 420K

2M+1.4M - 1.8M840K - 1.4M540K - 780K240K - 480K220K - 360K

2M+1.4M - 1.8M840K - 1.4M600K - 780K300K - 540K220K - 360K

Internal Audit

Product Control

Compliance

Regulatory Reporting / Financial Accounting

Management Reporting / FP & A

Job Title Annual Salary Range (HKD)

Managing DirectorDirectorVice PresidentAssistant Vice PresidentAssociateAnalyst

2M+1.5M - 1.9M+960K - 1.5M540K - 900K400K - 540K220K - 360K

Tax


Investment Banking

Regional Chief Financial OfficerCountry Chief Financial Officer

2M+1.6M+

CFO

Annual Salary Range (HKD)







1.8M+1.2M - 1.8M660K - 1.2M480K - 720K360K - 500K240K - 390K

2M+1.4M - 1.8M960K - 1.5M720K - 960K420K - 650K250K - 450K

1.8M+1.4M - 1.8M780K - 1.3M500K - 800K400K- 520K260K - 420K

1.8M+1.3M - 1.7M800K - 1.4M500K - 800K360K - 500K240K - 360K

2M+1.5M - 1.8M960K - 1.5M600K - 900K480K - 600K300K - 500K

1.8M+1.4M - 1.8M840K - 1.4M540K - 900K420K - 540K260K - 420K

Operations (Settlements / Corporate Actions / Treasury)

Project Management

Operations (Client On-Boarding / KYC Operations)

Credit Risk

Market Risk

Middle Office (Trade Support / Sales Support / Client Services)

Job Title Annual Salary Range (HKD)


DirectorSenior ManagerManagerAssistant ManagerOfficer / Senior Officer






1M+660K - 1M480K - 660K300K - 450K120K - 330K

1.2M+660K - 1.1M480K - 660K350K - 460K150K - 350K

1.2M+720K - 1.1M540K - 720K300K - 480K150K - 350K

1.3M+720K - 1.2M540K - 720K360K - 480K200K - 360K

1.3M+780K - 1.2M480K - 780K360K - 540K240K - 360K

1.3M+780K - 1.2M480K - 780K360K - 540K240K - 360K

Operations

Regulatory Reporting / Financial Accounting


Tax

Internal Audit / Risk

Compliance

Job Title

Job Title



Insurance


2M+1.4M - 1.8M900K - 1.5M600K - 900K360K - 600K240K - 420K

Operational Risk / Internal Control

Investment Banking


Director Director

Senior Manager Senior Manager

Manager Manager

Assistant Manager Assistant Manager

Officer / Senior Officer Officer / Senior Officer

Annual Salary Range (HKD): 1.1M+ Annual Salary Range (HKD): 1.2M+

Annual Salary Range (HKD): 720K - 1M Annual Salary Range (HKD): 720K - 1.1M

Annual Salary Range (HKD): 540K - 720K Annual Salary Range (HKD): 540K - 720K



Operations Regulatory Reporting / Financial Accounting

Director Director

Senior Manager Senior Manager

Manager Manager

Assistant Manager Assistant Manager

Officer / Senior Officer Officer / Senior Officer

Annual Salary Range (HKD): 1.2M+ Annual Salary Range (HKD): 1.3M+

Annual Salary Range (HKD): 720K - 1M Annual Salary Range (HKD): 780K - 1.2M





Internal Audit / Risk

Compliance

Officer / Senior Officer Annual Salary Range (HKD): 240K - 380K

Assistant ManagerAnnual Salary Range (HKD): 360K - 540K

Senior ManagerAnnual Salary Range (HKD): 780K - 1.2M

DirectorAnnual Salary Range (HKD): 1.3M+

ManagerAnnual Salary Range (HKD): 540K - 780K

Private Banking, Asset / Fund Management & other Financial Services


Hong Kong continues to be a leading Asian Financial hub and a platform for investment into China, so demand for Financial Analysts with strong analytical skills coupled with excellent business acumen and experience of the PRC market remained high in 2015. This is especially true across the Retail, Property Development, Information Technology and Telecommunications sectors and we expect this to continue in the next 12 months, with demand outweighing supply.

Demand for qualified accounting professionals across all salary levels, ranging from Accountants, Finance Managers to Financial Controllers, was fairly strong in 2015. We also saw an increase in finance contracting positons at a junior to middle level in 2015 and expect this trend to continue as contracting remains an ideal solution for headcount constraints or acquiring additional resources for key projects.

IA (Internal Audit) was also a hot sector in the second half of 2015, with high demand for junior staff with 3 years’ experience to a Managerial level. Experienced Audit professionals, especially those with the flexibility to travel extensively, were highly sought after for multinationals in the Retail, Manufacturing and IT&T sectors. A higher demand for IT Audit professionals covering the Asia Pacific region was evident, due to an increased

focus on Compliance requirements, as well as the growing eCommerce sector in Hong Kong.

Finance professionals within the Professional Services sector were in high demand in 2015. International transfers, mergers and acquisitions resulted in new headcount and replacement positions becoming available. Other service sectors, such as Media, also continued to seek highly qualified professionals at the senior level in both Hong Kong and mainland China, predominately Shanghai and Beijing.

In summary, although there remain a number of global economic and political issues that impact the Finance & Accounting employment market both in Hong Kong and throughout the region, overall we expect the Finance & Accounting job market in 2016 to remain stable.

Finance & AccountingDespite the slowdown of the China economy and the weakened performance of the Hong Kong Retail industry, hiring activity in the Finance & Accounting

sectors remained consistent throughout 2015. Across the Property Development, Apparel and FMCG industries in particular, the demand for

qualified talented professionals remained relatively strong.

leading Asian

Hong Kong contiunues to be a

Financial hub and a platform for investment into China


Finance & Accounting Professionals

Head of Audit Senior Audit Manager Internal Audit Manager Internal Auditor

CFO Finance Director Regional Financial Controller Financial Controller Finance / Accounting Manager Financial Accountant Accounts Payable / Accounts Receivable Accountant

Manager - Management Accounting Senior Management Accountant Management Accountant

Head of Planning & Analysis Financial Planning & Analysis ManagerSenior Financial Analyst Financial Analyst

Vice President / Head of Tax Tax Manager Tax Accountant

Head of Treasury Treasury Manager Treasury Accountant

12 - 15+8 - 125 - 8 3 - 5

15+ 12 - 15 10 - 128 - 10 6 - 10 3 - 6Up to 8 years

8 - 10+6 - 83 - 5

10 - 12+8 - 10 6 - 8 3 - 6

12+ 8 - 123 - 7

10 - 12+8 - 10 4 - 8

1.2M - 1.8M720K - 1M540K - 850K300K - 520K

1.5M - 2.5M +1.0M - 1.6M800K - 1.2M720K - 850K480K - 660K270K - 420K144K - 348K

540K - 660K450K - 540K300K - 450K

900K - 1.4M580K - 720K480K - 580K312K - 480K

900K - 1.6M540K - 900K300K - 480K

800K - 1.6M540K - 800K240K - 540K

Audit / Internal Control

Financial Accounting

Management Accounting

Planning & Analysis

Tax

Treasury

Job Title Years of Experience Annual Salary Range (HKD)


However, there are pockets where the impact of these macro changes are felt stronger than others. Domestic consumption remains strong, however demand continues to slow in the retail sector due to a consistent decline in the number of visitors. Businesses realigned their strategies and reassessed priorities in reaction to such changes. Hiring freezes were not uncommon across sectors such as luxury, watch and jewellery, and even fast-moving consumer products.

Candidates with strong retail operations experience however, remained highly sought after due to a shortage, especially at the management level. Despite these changes in the world of retail, certain brands and categories showed signs of continuous expansion in Hong Kong and across the region. Amongst these businesses, entry level to mid-management

positions were the most active and where employers often found themselves competing for high calibre candidates with Sales and Key Account Management experience. Demand for candidates with eCommerce, Digital Marketing and Social Media also remained strong, as Hong Kong continues to mature and advance in technology and infrastructure.

Hiring activity across Financial Services is stronger than ever in the non-bank financial institutions such as Insurance, Wealth Management, and Fund Management companies, which is in contrast to the banks. Many of the senior level Marketing roles in banks have merged with other roles, such as Communications or local roles combined with regional roles. A rise in the number of freelance marketing professionals indicate

Sales & Marketing

Retail Luxury, Watch & Jewellery

Domestic Consumption

Dem

an

d

Market Sector

The overall job market in Hong Kong, particularly for Sales and Marketing positions, continued to show positive signs despite of a slowing Chinese economy, uncertainties in the property market and a slightly weaker RMB.


Sales & Marketing

Demand for candidates with eCommerce, Digital Marketing and Social Media also remained strong.

that the volume of freelance project work available in the Financial Services sector has risen. Steady growth in hiring needs across the mid-senior level communications roles within Insurance and Fund Houses can be seen. Usually candidates with non-financial services backgrounds have been relatively successful securing roles in this area.

More Sales and Marketing roles are being created in the Insurance, Wealth and Fund Management sector to focus entirely on digital strategy and solution. This was reflected through the hiring of specialists to fill middle level roles instead of employing the existing marketing team.

For Services industries, we saw an increase in hiring activity especially for client-facing and business development related positions. In order

to secure the right talent, employers put an emphasis not only on successful sales track records but also on relevant language skills.

The start-up scene is becoming more vibrant in Hong Kong as institutional and individual investors seize opportunities in the growing Asian market. Priority and emphasis remained mainly on talent acquisition, particularly at the leadership level. Start-ups always desire candidates who are willing to “roll up their sleeves” in order to lead by example through its development stage and beyond. Other industry sectors such as Manufacturing, Construction and Logistics also remained active in recruiting top talent particularly into sales and revenue-generating positions and we forecast this to continue.

We are highly sought after!


Sales & Marketing

Commerce & Industry

15+ 15+15+ 15+12+6 - 1012+12+6 - 106 - 106 - 106 - 103 - 53 - 53 - 5

1.4M - 2M+1.3M - 1.8M+1.2M - 1.7M+1.1M - 1.5M+780K - 1.3M720K - 1.3M720K - 1.2M660K - 1M600K - 900K540K - 720K480K - 720K480K - 600K240K - 480K240K - 480K240K - 420K

Job Title

Job Title

Years of Experience

Years of Experience



Marketing Director Head of Corporate Comms / AffairsHead of Market Research / Business Intelligence Head of EventsVP, MarketingVP Media Relations AVP / Manager MarketingVP EventsMarket Research / Business Intelligence ManagerVP, Corporate Comms / Affairs AVP / Manager Corporate Comms / AffairsAVP / Manager EventsAssociate / Assistant Marketing ManagerAssociate / Assistant Corporate Comms ManagerEvent Specialist


FMCG


15+ 12+ 15+ 10+ 8+ 7 - 10 6 - 86 - 8 5 - 8 5 - 85 - 8 5 - 8 3 - 53 - 5 3 - 53 - 5 3 - 5

1.5M+840K - 1.5M840K - 1.3M650K - 910K540K - 720K520K - 780K390K - 520K390K - 520K360K - 520K360K - 480K360K - 480K300K - 480K300K - 360K300K - 360K300K - 360K260K - 360K240K - 300K

General Manager Sales Director Marketing Director Marketing Manager Sales ManagerSenior Brand Manager Key Account Manager Assistant Marketing Manager Trade Marketing Manager Brand Manager Product Manager Category Manager Assistant Brand Manager Assistant Product Manager Assistant Trade Marketing ManagerAssistant Key Account Manager Assistant Category Manager


15+15+15+10 - 15+10 - 156 - 8+5 - 84 - 6 8+ 3 - 53 - 5 6+ 8 - 10

1.8M+1.6M - 1.8M1.2M - 1.6M1M - 1.5M800K - 1.2M540K - 800K+520K - 650K500K - 800K500K - 720K400K - 600K400K - 600K350K - 500K325K - 400K


Managing DirectorHead of Sales Head of Marketing Sales / Business Development DirectorMarketing Director Sales ManagerSocial Media ManagerChannel ManagerMarketing Manager Account ManagerProduct Manager Assistant Marketing Manager Sales Operation Manager

IT / Telecommunications

15+ 15+ 6 - 8+ 6 - 8+ 5 - 86 - 8+ 3 - 5

1M - 1.5M1.2M - 1.6M600K - 960K480K - 780K480K - 720K480K - 720K300K - 600K

Marketing Director Business Development Director Business Development Manager Marketing Manager Corporate Communications ManagerPR ManagerBusiness Development / Marketing Executive

Professional Services

15+ 12+15+ 6 - 8 6 - 83 - 66 - 84 - 64 - 6

1M - 1.5M900K - 1.3M900K - 1.2M 450K - 720K420K - 700K420K - 650K300K - 480K300K - 450K300K - 420K

Advertising Sales Director Chief EditorCirculation Director Advertising Sales Manager Circulation Sales Manager Circulation Marketing Manager EditorAccount ManagerClient / Customer Service Manager

Media/Publishing

15+ 12+ 15+10+ 10+ 10+ 8+ 5 - 106 - 8 5 - 8

1M - 1.5M1M - 1.5M800k - 1.5M720K - 1M720K - 1M720K - 1M480K - 720K420K - 720K420K - 650K300K - 540K

Vice President / Marketing Director Vice President / Director, Distribution Vice President / Director, Advertising Sales Associate Director Associate Director, Distribution Associate Director, Sales Sales Manager Marketing Manager Distribution Manager Programming Manager

Broadcasting / Entertainment

Commerce & Industry



15+10 - 1510 - 158 - 108 - 106 - 106 - 86 - 86 - 103 - 53 - 53 - 53 - 53 - 5

1.3M - 1.8M800K - 1.3M800K - 1.3M650K - 800K650K - 800K520K - 715K500K - 800K480K - 660K455K - 546K325K - 455K260K - 325K250K - 420K240K - 360K240K - 360K

General ManagerSales / Business Development DirectorMarketing / Communications Director Business Development Manager Product Marketing ManagerProject ManagerMarketing Manager Sales ManagerTechnical ManagerProject EngineerTechnical OfficerMarketing ExecutiveSales Executive / Sales EngineerProduct Marketing Engineer

Industrial & Manufacturing

15+ 10 - 1510 - 158+ 10+ 6 -10+8+ 8+6+4 - 65+5 - 8 6 - 83 - 5 5 - 8 3+1 - 3

20+ 15+ 12+ 12+ 12+ 10+ 8 - 105+

1M - 1.5M1M - 1.5M910K - 1.5M650K - 910K650K - 910K650K - 910K585K - 910K540K - 780K480K - 720K450K - 520K420K - 520K360K - 650K300K - 455K300K - 364K300K - 360K240K - 360K144K - 240K

1.5M - 2M+ 1.2M - 1.5M 960K - 1.2M 960K - 1.2M 850K - 1.2M 720K - 850K 480K - 720K 300K - 420K

Head of Marketing Digital Marketing DirectorCRM Director CRM Manager Marketing Manager Senior Brand Manager Merchandising / Buyer Manager Retail Operations ManagerDigital Marketing Manager Brand Manager PR Manager Assistant Retail Operations ManagerAssistant PR Manager Assistant Marketing Manager Marketing Executive Store ManagerArea Manager

Group Managing Director Managing Director Business DirectorClient Services Director Strategic Planning Director Group Account Director Account Director Account Manager

Retail

Advertising Agency

Commerce & Industry


Commerce & Industry

Online

Marketing ExecutiveExperience (yrs): 3 - 5 Annual Salary Range (HKD): 240K - 360K

Account Manager Experience (yrs): 5+Annual Salary Range (HKD): 360K – 480K

Marketing Manager Experience (yrs): 5 - 8Annual Salary Range (HKD): 420K - 720K

Sales Manager Experience (yrs): 8+Annual Salary Range (HKD): 600K - 840K

Director / Group Account DirectorExperience (yrs): 15+Annual Salary Range (HKD): 1M - 1.5M

Account Director Experience (yrs): 8 - 10Annual Salary Range (HKD): 550K – 780K

Managing Director Experience (yrs): 20Annual Salary Range (HKD): 1.5M+

Sales DirectorExperience (yrs): 15+ Annual Salary Range (HKD): 1M+

PR Agency


Supply Chain & Procurement

Demand in this area

Multinational organisations in particular, placed an emphasis on reducing headcount in areas such as Project Management, Process Improvement and In-House Logistics. With the rise in costs of doing business in China, we have continued to see the trend of sourcing and buying offices shifting away from China to other geographic locations and we would expect this trend to be ongoing over the next few years. An unstable political and social environment in offshore countries such as Bangladesh and Myanmar has also resulted in a high demand for regional product integrity, safety compliance and quality assurance talent in Hong Kong throughout 2015, yet candidates with these niche skillsets are in great shortage.

A number of industries did ramp up Supply Chain recruitment in 2015 to bring in senior-level Logistics professionals to manage newly set up teams, especially the eCommerce, Healthcare and Professional Services sectors. In more established organisations, a Supply Chain sustainability function has manifested its importance in today’s competitive marketplace. This is due to many organisations financially

suffering from the fragile dynamics in supply chain issues, such as demand forecast and inventory planning inaccuracies, last-mile transportation and delayed delivery.Looking ahead in 2016, we do expect demand for middle to senior level Supply Chain & Procurement professionals with regional exposure to be high throughout the year as Hong Kong remains a regional logistics hub and is centrally located to manufacturing sites across China and South East Asia. We also expect to see strong demand across product integrity, safety compliance and quality assurance and we would expect hiring activity to remain steady across Procurement Outsourcing, Logistics and Supply Chain Risk Management.

We do foresee that candidates with the right blend of both technical skills and business acumen will continue to be in high demand for 2016 and that hiring the right talent will be increasingly challenging over the course of the year, as the retention of high quality staff remains a high priority for the majority of employers in Hong Kong.


Important focus of hiring:

Resource ConsolidationCost-cutting

Hiring demand for Supply Chain & Procurement professionals in 2015 was largely driven by company strategy around cost-cutting and resource consolidation.



15+18+12+5 - 87 - 103 - 52 - 3

18+12 - 179 - 127 - 103 - 61 - 5

15+12+8 - 105 - 83 - 61 - 3

15+15+10+7 - 107 - 107 - 104 - 6

1M - 1.6M850M - 1.5M+680K - 800K520K - 585K450K - 550K240K - 325K195K - 230K

1.7M - 2M1M - 1.6M+700K - 900K500K - 700K336K - 450K 210K - 315K

900K - 1.5M+830K - 1.2M700K - 810K480K - 680K360K - 480K192K - 360K

1.3M -1.6M1.2M-1.8M650K -830K585K - 780K520K - 650K520K -600K260K -400K


15+12+12+8 - 125 - 84 - 62 - 5

1.2M - 1.6M+1M - 1.5M650K - 1M450K - 650K360K - 450K300K - 360K210K - 280K

Head of Supply Chain Regional Supply Chain Director / VPSupply Chain Director / VPSupply Chain ManagerAssistant ManagerSenior Supply / Demand PlannerSupply / Demand Planner

Regional Director / VPHead of Logistics / Warehouse OperationsDirector / Head for HK & RegionTrade Compliance ManagerProject ManagerAssistant ManagerSenior Officer

CPODirector / VPSenior ManagerManagerAssistant ManagerOfficer / Engineer

Head of Quality / VPDirectorSenior ManagerManagerAssistant ManagerOfficer/Technician

R&D DirectorOperations DirectorOperations ManagerLean Process Improvement ManagerEngineering Sales Support ManagerProduct Design ManagerEngineer

Supply Chain Management

Logistics / Warehouse / Operations

Procurement / Merchandising

Quality Assurance / Technical

Manufacturing / Engineering

Commerce & Industry


The ongoing growth of Cloud Computing, Digital & Mobile Technologies continues to create opportunities for organisations who are willing to invest and adapt to get ahead of their competition.These trends continue to create a high demand in Hong Kong, and globally for individuals with niche skillsets in this space. Jobs that did not exist 10 years ago are now top of the hiring priority list with Mobile Applications Developers, Digital Marketers, Content Managers, Social Media Managers, Data Analytic Specialists, eCommerce Manager and SEO/SEM experts in high demand. Demand for qualified IT Professionals in mobile applications development and programmers with iOS, Android, C++, Java skills is huge and there is a significant shortage of talent. With disruptive technologies changing the way businesses operate around the world and more and more Tech start-up organisations emerging in Hong Kong, we only expect this demand to increase in 2016.

Throughout 2015, IT security was a hot topic, with multiple high profile hacking cases of banks and major multinational corporations hitting the headlines around the world. The majority of banks and multinational corporations have responded by looking to shore up their IT Security and IT Risk Management practices in 2015 and therefore

expertise in Cyber Security was highly sought after. During the year we also saw examples of banks offshoring IT resources into lower cost locations such as the Philippines, Malaysia or India. However, the general demand for IT Professionals across the Banking & Financial Services sector remained steady, with demand highest for Development and IT Security professionals.In 2016, across both the Financial Services and Commercial sectors, we expect organisations will continue to seek to upgrade or implement systems to give them a competitive edge. Demand for high quality IT Project Managers and Business Analysts, especially those with Change Management experience to deliver large scale projects on time and on budget is expected to be high. Within IT vendors and Telecommunications companies, as clients of these organisations seek to use technology to grow their businesses, we expect to see growth resulting in demand for Pre-Sales, Architect Solutions, and Sales professionals to remain high. We also saw significant growth in the IT contracting market during 2015, not only in Financial Services but also across other industry sectors. We expect this trend to continue with contracting, providing a solution for acquiring additional resources for a key project and a ‘try before you buy’ option for both clients and candidates.

In summary, we expect recruitment activity in the Information Technology sector to show positive growth across all industry sectors in 2016.

TechnologyStill at the top of the CEO’s agenda at present is being able to take advantage of the opportunities surrounding technology. Technology is significantly disrupting how businesses operate globally and throughout 2015 the IT sector in Hong Kong continued to be dominated by technological business trends including Cloud Computing, Digital & Mobile Technologies, IT Security and Big Data.


15+ 15+ 12 - 15 10 - 12 10 - 15 6 - 8 5 - 8 5 - 8

12+9+ 6+4 - 6 4 - 10 0 - 4

10+10+ 8+8+ 4 - 74 - 56+ 2 - 5

12+10+ 7+ 5+

8+ 5+ 5+5+2 - 5 0 - 3

1.5M - 2.3M +1.2M+800K - 1.2M720K - 840K 480K - 840K480K - 600K 360K - 720K360K - 600K

480K - 950K480K - 840K336K - 480K 300K - 360K200K - 660K 144K - 288K

1M - 1.8M600K - 1.2M600K - 900K480K - 800K360K - 600K360K - 480K300K - 420K280K - 460K

840K - 1.2M 720K - 960K 480K - 600K 360K - 480K

540K - 600K360K - 480K 324K - 396K288K - 400K204K - 324K 180K - 276K


Technology

Chief Information Officer IT Director Program Manager / Director Senior IT Manager Senior Project Manager Technical ConsultantSenior Business Analyst Pre / Post-Sales Consultant

Solution / Applications/ Systems Architect System / Application Development Manager System Analyst Analyst Programmer RDBMS Developer/DBA Senior Programmer

Infrastructure DirectorInfrastructure / Network Architect Security Manager / Consultant Senior Infrastructure Manager Senior Network Engineer / Network Engineer Security AnalystInfrastructure Analyst / System Specialist Senior System Engineer / System Engineer

Data Centre Project Manager Data Architect Data Warehousing / BI Specialist Senior Database Administrator

Helpdesk Manager Senior System Administrator IT Support - 3rd Tier Senior Network AdministratorIT Support - 2nd Tier IT Support - 1st Tier

Business Change

Application Development

Infrastructure

Database / Data Centre

Support

8+ 1 - 3

540K - 780K 216K - 300K

Testing Manager QA Engineer

Testing

Commerce & Industry


Notes to salary tables:1. Titles and levels vary from organisation to

organisation.

2. The salary ranges given are only approximate guides. For tailored salary advice, please contact us directly.

3. 12 month base salaries are assumed.

4. All other benefits and bonuses are in addition to these figures.

5. Bonus ranges can vary significantly from company to company and will be influenced by market conditions, business and individual performances. Bonus ranges from 1 month at the low end to 100%+ at the upper.

Technology

15+15+15+10+8 - 106 - 10+4

12 - 18

10 - 155 - 103 - 51 - 33 - 5 6 - 156 - 156 - 15 1 - 3

15+10 - 15 15+ 8 - 10+6 - 158 - 154 - 85 - 84 - 83 - 55 - 104 - 10 1 - 3

1.6M - 2.5M1.3M - 1.5M 800K - 1.5M800K - 1.2M700K - 1M650K - 1M450K - 650K

800K - 1.2M

750K - 1.1M500K - 800K480K - 600K360K - 480K350K - 550K240K - 720K240K - 720K240K - 720K 220K - 350K

1.5M - 2.4M900K - 1.5M900K - 1.5M750K - 1M650K - 1M650K - 1M650K - 1M500K - 800K400K - 600K360K - 500K350K - 550K260K - 450K 240K - 360K


IT Director (ED - MD) Business Analyst Program Manager (VP - D) Senior Project Manager Project Director Project Manager Senior Business Analyst

Architect - Applications, Solutions, Systems, Data(VP - SVP) Application Development Manager Lead Analyst Programmer Senior Database AdministratorDatabase Administrator Analyst ProgrammerC++ / Java .Net RDBMS developer / DBA Analyst Programmer

Infrastructure Director (ED - MD) Infrastructure Manager (SVP - ED) Security Director (SVP - ED) Network Architect Infrastructure Architect (VP - SVP) Security Manager (VP - SVP) Security Architect (VP - SVP) Network Engineer Systems administrator Network Support - 1st/2nd Level3rd Line Support Security Analyst Network Support - 1st/2nd Level

Business Change

Application Development

Infrastructure/ Network



6. Holiday entitlements range from 12 - 25 days with senior executives not usually receiving less than 18 days. Less than 15 is very rare and 20 days is becoming the norm.

7. Healthcare policies are standard.

8. Pension plans vary with some companies offering greater than the standard contribution. Top up schemes can increase employer contribution levels as much as 15-20% of the base salary for senior executives.

Helpdesk Support

Data Architect

Database Administrator

Data Warehousing / BI Specialist

Database Administrator

Database

Experience (yrs): 7 - 10Annual Salary Range (HKD): 600K - 750K


Experience (yrs): 10 - 15Annual Salary Range (HKD): 800K - 1M


Senior / Database Administrator Experience (yrs): 5 - 7 Annual Salary Range (HKD): 380K - 500K

Data Centre Project Manager Experience (yrs): 12 - 15 Annual Salary Range (HKD): 850K - 1.3M

1st Level Helpdesk AnalystExperience (yrs): 1 - 3 Annual Salary Range (HKD): 220K - 320K

2nd Level Desktop Support Analyst Experience (yrs): 1 - 3 Annual Salary Range (HKD): 300K - 400K

3rd Level Support Analyst Experience (yrs): 5 - 8 Annual Salary Range (HKD): 500K - 620K

Unix Administrator Experience (yrs): 3 - 6 Annual Salary Range (HKD): 500K - 650K

1st Level Helpdesk AnalystExperience (yrs): 3 - 5 Annual Salary Range (HKD): 350K - 550K

2nd Level Desktop Support Analyst Experience (yrs): 3 - 5 Annual Salary Range (HKD): 380K - 500K

Network Administrator Experience (yrs): 3 - 6 Annual Salary Range (HKD): 500K - 750K

Helpdesk ManagerExperience (yrs): 8 - 12 Annual Salary Range (HKD): 750K - 950K

Trading Systems Support Experience (yrs): 6 - 15 Annual Salary Range (HKD): 450K - 900K



AmbitionMarket Survey

We conducted a research survey with over 1000 of our candidates to identify trends and provide insight into the employment market.

2016 HONG KONG

CurrentEconomicClimate

Relationship with SupervisorTenure of Role

?bonus payout

most important ?0%

14.36%

Less than 5%

Individual Work Performance

Between 6% and 10%

Between 11% and 20%

Above 20%

14.91%

3.34%13.28%

62.78%

5.69%

16.98%

21.14%

28.10%

19.42%

Company Performance

expectations (for the year 2015) in 2016What are your

What do you think is the

that will affect your bonus figuresfactor


?

?

?salary increment

Changing JobsMaking a Career SwitchWorking Longer Hours Get a Promotion

0% 1 - 2% 3 - 5% 6 - 10% 10% +

10.30%11.92%

56.82%

13.82%7.14%

66.12%9.22%0.90% 23.76%

53.74%

31.71%

Promoted

Individual Work Performance

Positive Company Results

6.87% Expecting a promotion

7.68% I haven’t received any in recent years. It’s high time.

NEW JOB

What are your

What do you think is the

WHAT

expectations in 2016

to get a good salary increment

get a good increment

do you thinkis the best way to

best way


?

??

paid in line

mostleast

with the market rate

about yourabout your current jobcurrent job

Do you think you are

What do you likeWhat do you like

42.19%

37.49%

20.32%

Scope of work

Lack of career progression

36.84%31.32%

I don’t know the market rate No Yes

Remuneration14.16%

Remuneration11.04%

Your Manager9.64%

Lack of communication with management6.73%

Scope of work9.24%

Staff benefits11.85%

Company Culture20.18%

Your Manager9.04%

Communication between management and staff4.72%

Staff benefits7.93%

Opportunities for career progression12.25%

Company Culture15.06%


work long hours?Do you

Interest and passion

No, I don’t wish to pursue my studies

Peer pressure

1.00%Perceived popularity of the industry/role

6.33%

Earning potential

31.33%

42.95%

Ability to have a work-life balance

26.00%

35.34%

YES

YES

NO

NO

70.28%

29.72%

57.05%

39.26%

Yes, I wish to pursue a relevant course / diploma

23.29%

Yes, I wish to pursue my degree

3.41%

Yes, I wish to pursue my Masters

26.31%

Yes, I wish to pursue my PhD / Doctorate

7.73%

choice,relocate to further your career?Given a would you

?studiesacademic

level

Do you wish to pursue further

If so, to what

?main reasonWhat was the

for your choice of career


Does your company have a clear diversity strategy focusing on the future workforce?

Does your company promote and practice workplace diversity in its hiring process?

Office layout and settings Attending meetings

Long meetings

I always eat at my desk while working

Smoke breaksSocial media

Sometimes I eat outChatty colleagues

Going to the gym/working out

Slow network/technology system

I always eat out20.53%

36.00%

4.23%14.52%

7.14%

37.55%

31.55%

0.93%

15.34%

3.63%1.87%

24.25%

32.40%

50.89% 44.92%

38.20%

36.05%

?

.

?productivity spendin the office your lunch hour

What lowers your How do you

importanceRankthe following in order of

for your current businessto retain you

YES

YES

NO

NO

I DON’T KNOW

I DON’T KNOW

Benefits 7.26%

Company brand 3.73%

Company culture 7.88%

Company strategy/direction 3.23%

Flexible working conditions 6.22%

Opportunities for advancement 15.56%

Salary & Bonus 46.58%

Your manager 9.54%


?

?

main benefit

social mediaaccounts during office hours

Do you access your How often do youyour social media accounts during office hours?

Do you raise work issues on your social media pages (e.g. Facebook & Twitter)?

Does your company have guidelines and rules on employee social media behaviour?

What do you think is theof workplace diversity

None

Learning from new people

Projecting a global image and reputation of the organisation

Diverse perspectives and ideas at work

8.69%

6.65%

7.02%

4.08%

24.79%

37.58%15.77%

62.42%

77.21%

40.82%

14.25%

44.93%

YES

NO

I DON’T KNOW

access

Once to thrice

Yes, I do but selectively

YesMore than 10 times

No, i don’t at all

Five to ten times

Yes, I do on everything

No

All of the above55.79%

2.27%

12.63%

85.10%


?

communicate

main reason

in your organisationwith one another the

majority of the time

How do the employees

Intranet 4.54%

Social media 4.54%

Phone 11.34%

Office Communicator 19.55%

Email 60.03%

you would resign or havepreviously resigned

from your job

What is the

YES

YES

NO

NO

Limited flexible working hours 3.16%

Dissatisfaction with salary 20.46%

Power relationship with Manager 14.80%

Lower than expected bonus 2.39%

No or insufficient training and development 3.48%

Company culture misfit 16.43%

No career progression 39.28%68.03%

31.97%

social media(LinkedIn, Facebook & Twitter)

Do you view

of current or potentialcolleagues?

?company updatesits staff

sufficientlyand on

company matters/performance

Do you think your

frequently enough

52.45%

47.55%

?


Speaking to a recruitment professional

In 6 - 12 months’ time

Using social media platforms such as LinkedIn

In over 2 years time

Applying with your current organisation

Take some time off

In 3 - 6 months’ time

Visiting and applying through online job boards

Do nothing and hope it will improve somehow

In 1 - 2 years’ time

Using peer network

Other

Take up a relevant course to upgrade myself

Now

? ?

?

?

bonus payoutnext position

next anticipate

Are you waiting for your

and/or pay increment before you start your job search

If you were looking for a job, how would you find your

When do youmoving job

Would you consider a contract/temporary job?

What would you do if you feel your career has come to a standstill

21.11% 19.91%

I prefer contract roles over permanent roles 2.83%

23.07%

4.03%

7.18%

15.45% 8.60%15.13%

I would consider a contract role any time 12.40%

28.40%

17.21%

19.80%

6.42%

35.80%

32.19%

39.39%

Make a career switch 42.11%

YES

23.94%NO

24.05%I HAVE ALREADY STARTED LOOKING FOR A NEW JOB

16.21%I DON’T INTEND TO SWITCH JOBS

I would never take on a contract/temporary role 28.84%

Only when I really can’t get a permanent role 55.93%


Ambition is a leading global boutique recruitment business listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.With coverage across Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and London, we specialise within the areas of Banking & Financial Services, Finance & Accounting, Sales & Marketing, Supply Chain & Procurement, and Technology.

We are best known for specialisation with in-depth knowledge and expertise, well-established networks and deep relationships.


Finance & Accounting

Sales & Marketing


Technology

London

Kuala Lumpur

Sydney

Tokyo

Melbourne

Brisbane

Hong Kong

Singapore

We believe our size is a significant differentiator in the recruitment industry. We are big enough toundertake large scale projects for our clients, yet small enough to retain the soul and personalityof a smaller company.

We work relentlessly to reinforce our purpose and culture and believe passionately that no onein the company is too small to make a difference.

As a global boutique recruitment business, our offices are extremely closely connected.Our management structure is geared towards facilitating communication between offices andour processes and technology go further to support this connection. Ultimately, this means weare well placed to source the hardest to find candidates and to extend client relationships throughout our international office network.

For more information, please visit www.ambition.com.hk

About Ambition

?differentWhat makes us

WE SPECIALISE IN:


Notes

Ambition is committed to driving innovation and have a strong social media presence allowing us to interact and engage through videos, whitepapers, surveys, webinars, trends and blogs via LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Gmail Plus.

SocialGet


Notes


BUILDING

BETTER.FUTURES

Hong KongLevel 25, 28 Hennessy Road, Hong KongT: +852 3101 3066 F: +852 3101 3068

www.ambition.com.hk

market trends salary reportwelcome to the 2016 ambition market trends and salary report for hong...

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