Hong Kong expects to see a rise in demand in system development, data, innovation, artificial intelligence, internet of things and software development. (Robert Walters 2020 salary guide)
On the software engineering side, there is continued high demand for experience in C++ and Python to accommodate the increasing prevalance of blockchain. Developers with a background in Java, C# and PHP web development and data analysts specialising in SQL, Python and Advanced excel are also sought after as well. There has been a trend towards candidates developing specific skillsets due to increasing specialisation within the IT industry. (Robert Walters 2019 tech salary guide)
Further details on the top universities in Hong Kong can be found on Webometrics.
The table below shows the average salaries for some permanent roles in 2021. More information about salaries in Hong Kong can be found on Salary Explorer.
For tech professionals staying in a role, 24% expect a 1-6% annual salary increment, 49% expect a 7-15% annual salary increment while 13% expect a 15%+ annual salary increment.
English Proficiency: Moderate Proficiency
Number of LinkedIn Users (2021): 2,347,000
Top Local Job Portals: JobsDB, Indeed, Neuvoo
More information about job portals in Hong Kong can be found here.
Top Recruitment Agencies: Michael Page Hong Kong, Connected Group, Egon Zehnder
The Statutory Minimum Wage (SMW) is HK$37.50 per hour.
Paid monthly. Salary due on the last day of wage period. Grace period of 7 days is given after which employer is subjected to pay interest on top of the wages.
13th Month Salary
Not mandatory.
Employee Stock Options
There is no statutory provision with regards to employers providing Employee Stock Options as a part of an employee’s compensation package.
However, the general market trend in Hong Kong suggests that a company is usually willing to offer between 8% to 20% of its total share capital. This, again, will depend upon a number of factors such as the industry sector, size of the company, and the management culture.
No statutory maximum working hours or standard working hours but those 18 years and below have regulated working hours.
Average working hours are 42 hours per week.
The public holidays can be found here.
Employees must provide a medical certificate.
Employees are entitled to 14 weeks of paid maternity leave.
Usually 4-14 weeks from actual confinement date.
The termination process is simple.
Contract termination may take place with adequate notice from the party or through payment in lieu of notice. Notice period and pay in-lieu are dependent on whether the employee is on probation as well as contractual considerations.
Usually lasts for 1-3 months.
Hong Kong has labor laws requiring employers to carry insurance to protect employees against workplace injuries. Employees Compensation Insurance (it is also referred to as EC Insurance) is mandatory under Hong Kong Employee's Compensation Ordinance enacted by the Labour Department.
For a business with less than 200 employees, the minimum limit must be HK$100 million, and for a business that employees more than 200 employees a minimum limit of insurance of HK$ 200 million.
Further information on insurance compliance for employers in Hong Kong can be found here.
Currently, there is no VAT in Hong Kong.
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