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Overall distribution of hourly wage
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According to the statistics released today (March 18) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), there were 2 776 600 employees in Hong Kong (excluding live-in domestic workers, employees in the Government, employers and self-employed persons) in the second quarter of 2009, and the median hourly wage of these employees was $58.5.
In the second quarter of 2009, the 10th, 25th, 75th and 90th percentile hourly wages of Hong Kong employees were $27.0, $38.9, $96.0 and $171.8 respectively.
By arranging the hourly wages of all employees from the smallest to the largest value, the median hourly wage is the hourly wage of the employee who ranks in the middle of all the employees concerned. In other words, the median hourly wage is the hourly wage value that delineates the lowest 50% of all the employees concerned.
Percentile hourly wage figures are useful in discerning the distribution of hourly wage of employees. The pth percentile hourly wage is the hourly wage value which delineates the lowest p% of all the employees concerned, where p can be any integer value from 1 to 99. For instance, the 10th percentile hourly wage is the hourly wage value that delineates the lowest 10% of the employees. The 25th percentile, 50th percentile and 75th percentile hourly wages are also known as the lower quartile, median and upper quartile hourly wages respectively.
The overall hourly wage distribution of employees in the second quarter of 2009 is shown in Table 1. The numbers of employees earning less than selected hourly wage levels are shown in Table 2.
Median hourly wage of employees with different characteristics
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Of the 2 776 600 employees, 1 449 400 (52%) were male and 1 327 300 (48%) were female. The median hourly wage for male employees was $64.3 while that for female employees was $53.4. The median hourly wage of male employees was higher than that of female employees mainly because the proportion of male employees who had completed education at Secondary 6 level and above was higher than the corresponding proportion of female employees.
Analysed by age group, the median hourly wage of employees at age 35 - 44 was the highest ($70.0), followed by employees at age 25 - 34 ($64.9). The median hourly wage of employees at the youngest age group of 15 - 24 and the most senior age group of 55 and above were $40.2 and $42.6 respectively. The median hourly wages of employees at different age groups were associated with the educational attainment of employees at the respective age groups, especially the proportion who had completed education at Secondary 6 level and above.
Median hourly wage varied substantially across employees with different levels of educational attainment. The median hourly wages of those at primary and below; Secondary 1 to 3; Secondary 4 to 5; and Secondary 6 and above were $33.7, $39.8, $53.8 and $100.5 respectively.
The median hourly wage of employees working in elementary occupations was $31.7; that of service/shop sales workers was $36.5; that of craft and related workers, plant and machine operators and assemblers was $55.0; that of clerks was $54.0 and that of managers, administrators, professionals and associate professionals was $107.2.
Among the various industry sections surveyed, the median hourly wage was over $100 in the following industries: education and public administration (excluding Government) ($129.0); electricity and gas supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities ($118.5); and financial and insurance activities ($105.9).
During the same period, the median hourly wage was less than $50 in the following industries: estate management, security and cleaning services ($27.6); restaurants ($32.7); miscellaneous activities (including elderly homes; laundry and dry cleaning services; hairdressing and other personal services; local courier services; and food processing and production) ($33.7); and retail trade ($39.9).
The median hourly wages of employees of different sexes, age groups, educational attainment levels and occupational groups are given in Table 3. The median hourly wage of employees analysed by industry section is given in Table 4.
Further information
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The above wage statistics were compiled based on the data obtained from the 2009 Annual Earnings and Hours Survey (AEHS). This statistical survey was launched by the C&SD in the second quarter of 2009. It was conducted for the first time to provide comprehensive data on the level and distribution of wages, employment details and demographic profile of employees in Hong Kong. These statistics are useful for studies on labour-related topics by the private sector and the Government. They are also essential inputs for analyses related to the Statutory Minimum Wage. A sample of about 10 000 establishments was selected for the survey in 2009.
Wage is defined to include basic wage/salary, commission and tips not of gratuitous nature, guaranteed allowances and overtime payment paid to an employee in the survey period. It does not cover bonuses and allowances of gratuitous nature, end of year payment and payments in kind. Number of working hours is the sum of contractual/agreed working hours (excluding rest time and meal break if no work is done or to be done) and paid overtime hours of an employee. Hourly wage of an employee is derived by dividing the amount of wages paid by the number of working hours of the employee in the survey period.
Regarding the survey coverage, the AEHS covers all establishments irrespective of their employment sizes and industries, except those engaged in agriculture, forestry and fishing activities. All employees of establishments falling within the scope of the survey who are under the protection of the Employment Ordinance are covered in the survey. Employees in the Government, live-in domestic workers, employers and self-employed persons are excluded.
Details of the wage statistics compiled from the 2009 AEHS and the survey methodology are published in the 2009 Report on Annual Earnings and Hours Survey. Users can download this publication free of charge at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/products_and_services/products/publications/index.jsp).
Print version of this publication is available for sale at $41 per issue. Purchase can be made in person at the Publications Unit of the C&SD (Address: 19/F Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai; tel: 2582 3025) or through mail order by returning a completed order form which can be downloaded from the C&SD's website (www.censtatd.gov.hk/products_and_services/other_services/provision_of_stat/mail_ordering_of_publications/index.jsp). The print version of this publication is also available for sale online at the Government Bookstore of the Information Services Department (www.bookstore.gov.hk).
Enquiries concerning the survey results of the AEHS can be directed to the Wages and Labour Costs Statistics Section (2) of the Census and Statistics Department at 2887 5230.
Ends/Thursday, March 18, 2010
Issued at HKT 11:00
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