SALARY EXPAT REMUNERATION COMPENSATION BENEFITS
Asia – Expats based in Hong Kong are paid lesser than their counterparts in Japan and India.
A survey by human resources consultancy ECA International found that based on overall pay, expatriate middle managers in Hong Kong receive about US$249,814 (S$301,201) a year on average. Even though the whole compensation package includes benefits such as housing and school fees, expats there are still paid much lower than Japan’s US$351,516 (S$423,824) and India’s US$269,176 (S$324,538).
Those in Hong Kong also trail behind their counterparts in Japan in terms of their net take-home pay. They earn 18%, or US$18,000 (S $21,700), less than the US$98,000 (S$118,155) expats in Japan receive annually, the highest paid group within Asia.
Expats in Singapore were the fifth highest paid overall, earning between US$80,000 (S$96,463) and US$98,000 (S$118,155).
Expat take-home pay in Korea, Taiwan and Laos were ranked second, third and fourth respectively. Rounding up the top ten countries were Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Cambodia, with Hong Kong coming in tenth.
However, the benefits Hong Kong expats receive were the highest in the region, as companies factor in the city’s high property prices and rising inflation. Lee Quane, ECA’s regional director for Asia, said this could be another factor affecting the total salary.
Companies often use perks such as accommodation, travel and education allowances to lure employees abroad. Quane advised staff to carefully consider what their relative purchasing power would be at the end of the day. As lower ranking employees usually earn the same as local hires, he said expats heading into a foreign location should conduct some research.
Out of the 17 Asian countries surveyed, expats in China, India and Vietnam receive the lowest net take-home pay.
Around 250 companies ranging from banking and finance to non-profit and manufacturing across 119 countries provided information on the salaries of over 10,000 employees worldwide.
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