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The following is issued on behalf of the Pay Trend Survey Committee:
The Pay Trend Survey Committee validated the findings of the 1999/2000 Pay Trend Survey at its meeting today (May 17).
The findings indicated that the following average pay adjustments had been awarded by the surveyed companies:
-0.62% for employees earning below $15,160 per month;
-0.70% for employees earning between $15,160 and $46,485 per month;
+0.87% for employees earning between $46,486 and $92,700 per month.
The current survey was conducted by the Pay Survey and Research Unit under the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service. It measured the pay trend in 71 private companies covering 122,273 employees over the 12-month period from April 2, 1999 to April 1, 2000.
The survey took into account pay adjustments for all employees of the surveyed companies relating to cost of living, changes in market rates, company performance, merit and inscale increment, in accordance with the established survey methodology.
A breakdown of the 71 participating companies by size is as follows:
No. of Companies ----------------
Small companies 26 (37%)
(with 100 - 499 employees)
Medium companies 23 (32%)
(with 500 - 1,499 employees)
Large companies 22 (31%)
(with 1,500 employees or more)
Total : 71 (100%)
The distribution of the survey population of 122,273 employees by the three salary bands is as follows:
No. of Employees----------------
Lower Salary Band 71,358 (58%)
(below $15,160 p.m.)
Middle Salary Band 46,047 (38%)
($15,160 - $46,485 p.m.)
Upper Salary Band 4,868 (4%)
($46,486 - $92,700 p.m.)
Total 122,273 (100%)
The meeting today was chaired by Mr Nicholas S C Chiu, who is a Member of the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service.
In announcing the results, Mr Chiu said "These figures are the result of a survey of pay trends in the private companies. Pay adjustment for the civil service is, however, a separate matter; and the level of the adjustment is to be determined by the Administration in consultation with the four central staff consultative councils."
He emphasised that neither the Pay Trend Survey Committee, nor for that matter the Standing Commission, is involved in any way in the discussions between the Administration and the staff on any pay adjustment based on the survey results.
Mr Chiu took the opportunity to express the Committee's sincere appreciation for the cooperation and assistance rendered by the 71 participating companies to the Pay Survey and Research Unit to enable the successful completion of the survey.
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The Pay Trend Survey System
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- The pay trend survey system produces annual indicators of the average pay movements of full-time employees of selected private sector companies in the survey field. Based on information about changes in salaries due to general pay increases, bonuses, merit payments and inscale increments collected by the Pay Survey and Research Unit from these companies, "gross pay trend indicators" are produced for three different salary bands for verification and agreement by the Pay Trend Survey Committee.
- In accordance with current arrangements, the Administration then deducts "the value of civil service increments at their payroll cost" (expressed as a percentage of the total payroll cost for each salary band) from the gross pay trend indicators to produce the net pay trend indicators. In deciding on the civil service pay adjustment, the Administration will have regard to the views of the major civil service consultative councils and other factors such as staff morale, budgetary considerations and the social and economic conditions.
The Pay Trend Survey Committee
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- The Committee is an independent body first established in 1983. Its main function is to commission the annual pay trend survey and agree to its results. Insofar as the conduct of the annual pay trend survey is concerned, the Committee is the only and final authority. It consists of representatives of the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service, the Standing Committee on Disciplined Services Salaries and Conditions of Service, the Administration, and the Staff Sides of the Senior Civil Service Council, the Model Scale 1 Staff Consultative Council, the Police Force Council and the Disciplined Services Consultative Council.
Participating Companies in the Private Sector
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- The 71 participating companies are listed in the Appendix.
- The spokesman for the Committee emphasised that all pay-related data had been made available to the Pay Survey and Research Unit solely to facilitate the compilation of the relevant pay trend indicators. Strict confidentiality is observed in the storage and handling of such information. Where the information is published, code numbers will be used to ensure that the identity of the companies will not be disclosed.
Findings of the Previous Survey in 1998/99
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- Last year, based on pay data collected from 77 private companies covering 128,414 employees over the 12-month period from April 2, 1998 to April 1, 1999, it was established that the following average pay increases had been awarded by the surveyed companies:
+0.59% for employees earning below $15,160 per month;
+2.12% for employees earning between $15,160 and $46,485 per month;
+1.21% for employees earning between $46,486 and $92,700 per month.
List of 71 Companies Participating
in the 1999/2000 Pay Trend Survey
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* Acer Computer (Far East) Ltd.
* American Club, The
* Bank of China Hong Kong Branch
* British-American Tobacco Co. (HK) Ltd.
* Cable & Wireless HKT Ltd.
* Cafe de Coral Holdings Ltd.
* Caltex Oil Hong Kong Ltd.
* Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.
* Chiaphua Industries Ltd.
* CITIC Pacific Ltd.
* CLP Holdings Ltd.
* Compaq Computer Ltd.
* Crocodile Garments Ltd.
* Dairy Farm Company Ltd., The
* DHL International (Hong Kong) Ltd.
* Electronic Devices Ltd.
* Esso Hong Kong Ltd.
* Four Seas Mercantile Ltd.
* General Electric Company of Hong Kong Ltd., The
* Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Co. Ltd.
* Green Island Cement (Holdings) Ltd.
* Hasbro Far East Ltd.
* Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Ltd.
* Hong Kong and China Gas Co. Ltd., The
* Hong Kong Country Club, The
* Hong Kong Ferry (Holdings) Co. Ltd.
* Hong Kong Oxygen & Acetylene Co. Ltd.
* Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels Ltd., The
* Hongkong Tramways Ltd.
* Hongkong United Dockyards Ltd.
* HSBC
* Hsin Chong Construction Co. Ltd.
* IBM China/Hong Kong Ltd.
* Jardine Pacific Ltd.
* Jebsen & Co. Ltd.
* John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Ltd.
* Jusco Stores (Hong Kong) Co. Ltd.
* Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1933) Ltd., The
* Lam Soon (Hong Kong) Ltd.
* Li & Fung (Trading) Ltd.
* Marco Polo Hotels
* Mass Transit Railway Corporation
* Mattel (HK) Ltd.
* Motorola Semiconductors Hong Kong Ltd.
* National Lacquer & Paint Products Co. Ltd., The
* NCR (Hong Kong) Ltd.
* Ocean Park Corporation
* Otis Elevator Co. (H.K.) Ltd.
* P & O Nedlloyd (HK) Ltd.
* Philips Electronics Hong Kong Ltd.
* Philips Electronics Hong Kong Ltd. BCU Audio
* PricewaterhouseCoopers
* Ryoden (Holdings) Ltd.
* S. Megga Telecommunications Ltd.
* Shangri-La Hotel (Kowloon) Ltd.
* Shell Hong Kong Ltd.
* Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers
* Shui On Construction and Materials Ltd.
* Shun Hing Electronic Trading Co., Ltd.
* Sime Darby Hong Kong Ltd.
* Sonca Products Ltd.
* Sony Corporation of Hong Kong Ltd.
* South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd.
* Standard Chartered Bank
* Swire Coca-Cola HK Ltd.
* Television Broadcasts Ltd.
* Urban Property Management Ltd.
* Vigers Hong Kong Ltd.
* Vitasoy International Holdings Ltd.
* VTech Electronics Ltd.
* Xerox (Hong Kong) Ltd.
End/Wednesday, May 17, 2000
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