Experience in e-commerce, big data and mobile app development are highly-sought after, and on the commercial technology side, data analysis skills are highly in-demand.
Hong Kong’s technology job market has remained active and competitive in 2015. Despite the continued effect of globalization and enterprise strategies, the trend of off-shoring IT functions to EMEA markets is ascending. Domestic professionals have to be ready to compete with talent across developing countries such as Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia.
With regard to diversity, we realise that the Hong Kong IT market is still relatively male dominated with an approximate ratio of 75:25. On the other hand, we have also witnessed a growing number of senior female IT leader at various levels. A lot of organisations are very keen to attract female IT talent with different practice such as “work-from-home” and flexible hours especially for “working mothers”.
Within financial services, there is a 50/50 split between local/international professionals; the majority of multinational companies hire internationally and they always encourage internal mobility. However, in commerce and industry, the ratio of locals vs foreigners is about 75:25, as companies prefer to hire locals due to cultural fit and slightly lower salaries compared to foreigners.
We expect an increasing reliance on international hiring over the next three years, due to the limited talent supply in Hong Kong. Experience in e-commerce, big data and mobile app development are highly-sought after, and on the commercial technology side data analysis skills are highly in-demand. Permanent roles still dominate in Hong Kong. The ratio of in-house to contract/agency temp hiring in technology is roughly 70:30. However, the number of contract positions is increasing, though with vast investment in technology from various enterprises whereas balancing out headcount remains to be a challenge for some firms.
Salary increments are expected to be between 3-8% internally and 15-20% for external moves. Professionals with in-demand skills, such as data analytics and mobile apps development, can command salary increases of more than 25%. Contractors can expect salary increments of 15-25%.
Ideally, qualifications should focus on both the technical sideand business/commercial side. Some of the more sought-after ones include information securities, risk management, CISA and CISSP. Apart from technical know-how, candidate has to be dynamic, communicative these days not only to secure the preferred position but also as a key to career progression.
| Role: | Analyst | Associate/ AVP | VP | Director or above |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BASIC SALARIES (HK$ PER MONTH) | ||||
| Developer- Front Office | $35k - $45k | $60k - $70k | $75k - $100k | $110k + |
| Developer- MO/BO | $25k - $35k | $50k - $60k | $70k - $85k | $100k+ |
| Business Analyst - Front Office | $35k - $40k | $60k - $70k | $75k - $100k | $110k+ |
| Business Analyst - MO/BO | $25k - $35k | $45k - $55k | $65k - $75k | $100k+ |
| Project Manager- Front Office | $35k - $45k | $65k - $75k | $75k - $100k | $110k+ |
| Project Manager- MO/BO | $30k - $40k | $45k - $55k | $65k - $80k | $100k+ |
| Desktop/Trading Floor support | $25k - $35k | $40k - $50k | $55k - $75k | $85k+ |
| Production Support- Application Support | $35k - $45k | $55k - $65k | $75k - $100k | $110k+ |
| UNIX/Windows System Engineer | $30k - $40k | $50k - $60k | $65k - $85k | $100k+ |
| Network/Voice Engineer | $30k - $40k | $55k - $65k | $70k - $85k | $100k+ |
| Database Administrator | $30K - $40K | $50k - $60k | $65k - $85k | $100k+ |
| Information Security | $30k - $40k | $55k - $70k | $75k - $90k | $100k+ |
| Market Data Analyst | $35k - $45k | $55k - $65k | $75k - $90k | $100k+ |
Contract
| Role: | Analyst | Associate/ AVP | VP | Director or above |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BASIC SALARIES (HK$ PER MONTH) | ||||
| Developer- Front Office | $35k - $45k | $60k - $75k | $85k - $100k | $110k + |
| Developer- MO/BO | $25k - $35k | $50k - $60k | $65k - $85k | $100k+ |
| Business Analyst - Front Office | $35k - $45k | $60k - $75k | $85k - $100k | $110k+ |
| Business Analyst - MO/BO | $25k - $35k | $50k - $60k | $65k - $80k | $100k+ |
| Project Manager- Front Office | $35k - $45k | $65k - $75k | $75k - $100k | $110k+ |
| Project Manager- MO/BO | $30k - $40k | $50k - $60k | $65k - $80k | $100k+ |
| Desktop/Trading Floor support | $25k - $35k | $40k - $50k | $55k - $75k | $85k+ |
| Production Support- Application Support | $35k - $45k | $65k - $75k | $75k - $95k | $100k+ |
| UNIX/Windows System Engineer | $30k - $40k | $40k - $60k | $75k - $95k | $100k+ |
| Network/Voice Engineer | $25k - $35k | $55k - $65k | $75k - $95k | $100k+ |
| Database Administrator | $25K - $35K | $40k - $60k | $65k - $85k | $85k+ |
| Information Security | $35k - $45k | $65k - $75k | $85k - $100k | 110K+ |
| Market Data Analyst | $35k - $45k | $60k - $70k | $75k - $95k | $90k+ |
| Role: | Analyst | Senior | Manager | Senior Manager + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BASIC SALARIES (HK$ PER MONTH) | ||||
| Pre-Sales Consultant | $25k - $30k | $35k - $45k | $50k - $55k | $55k - $65k |
| Analyst Programmer | $20k - $25k | $30k - $35k | $40k - $50k | $55k - $65k |
| Moible Application Programmer | $30k - $35k | $40k - $45k | $55k - $60k | $65k - $75k |
| UNIX/Windows system Administrator | $25k - $30k | $30k - $35k | $45k - $55k | $60k - $70k |
| Network/Voice Infrastructure | $20k - $25k | $35k - $45k | $50k - $60k | $60k - $70k |
| Data warehousing | $20k - $30k | $35k - $40k | $45k - $55k | $60k - $65k |
| Project Manager | $25k - $30k | $35k - $45k | $55k - $65k | $65k - $75k |
| Business Analyst | $20k - $30k | $35k - $45k | $45k - $55k | $60k - $70k |
| Service Delivery | $25k - $30k | $35k - $45k | $45k - $55k | $60k - $70k |
| Desktop/Application Support | $20k - $25k | $30k - $35k | $40k - $50k | $55k - $65k |
| IT Manager | $25k - $35k | $45k - $50k | $55k - $60k | $65k - $75k |
| Testing/QA | $20k - $30k | $30k - $35k | $40k - $50k | $55k - $65k |
| Data Center Manager | $20k - $30k | $30k - $35k | $40k - $50k | $55k - $65k |
Contract
| Role: | Analyst | Senior | Manager | Senior Manager + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BASIC SALARIES (HK$ PER MONTH) | ||||
| Pre-Sales Consultant | $25k - $30k | $35k - $45k | $45k - $55k | $55k - $65k |
| Analyst Programmer | $20k - $25k | $35k - $45k | $45k - $55k | $55k - $65k |
| Moible Application Programmer | $25k - $35k | $40k - $45k | $55k - $65k | $65k - $75k |
| UNIX/Windows system Administrator | $20k - $25k | $35k - $45k | $45k - $55k | $55k - $65k |
| Network/Voice Infrastructure | $20k - $25k | $35k - $45k | $45k - $55k | $55k - $65k |
| Data warehousing | $20k - $30k | $35k - $40k | $45k - $55k | $60k - $65k |
| Project Manager | $25k - $30k | $40k - $50k | $55k - $65k | $65k - $75k |
| Business Analyst | $20k - $30k | $30k - $35k | $45k - $55k | $60k - $65k |
| Service Delivery | $20k - $30k | $30k - $35k | $40k - $50k | $60k - $65k |
| Desktop/Application Support | $20k - $25k | $30k - $35k | $40k - $50k | $55k - $65k |
| IT Manager | $25k - $35k | $40k - $45k | $60k - $65k | $65k - $75k |
| Testing/QA | $20k - $30k | $30k - $35k | $40k - $50k | $55k - $65k |
| Data Center Manager | $20k - $30k | $30k - $35k | $40k - $50k | $55k - $65k |
If you would like to find out more specific salary or hiring information please contact your Morgan McKinley office today.
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