Expect more moderate pay rise: Hays poll

Close to half of Singapore employers plan to award their staff pay rises of between 3 per cent and 6 per cent during their next salary review, recruitment firm Hays said in a report yesterday.

The annual Hays Asia Salary Guide draws on research involving more than 3,000 employers representing six million employees across the region.

This year, 46 per cent of those polled in Singapore said they plan to grant salary increments of 3 per cent to 6 per cent.

This is slightly lower than the 52 per cent of employers who said they awarded increases of between 3 and 6 per cent during their last salary review period.

"Singapore is a resourceful nation, but the economic outlook for 2017 is challenging, so it's not surprising to see employers taking a moderate approach to salaries," said Hays Singapore managing director Lynne Roeder.

The survey also found that 8 per cent of employers in Singapore expect to award increases of 6 per cent to 10 per cent, while 3 per cent plan to award increments of over 10 per cent.

About a third, or 34 per cent, plan to grant up to 3 per cent increments and 9 per cent said they do not plan to give out any salary increases.

The poll also found Singaporean employees have ambitious salary expectations, with 20 per cent of respondents expecting a rise of 6 per cent to 10 per cent during their next review.

A further 14 per cent said they expect to receive a salary increase of more than 10 per cent.

With only 3 per cent of employers intending to award more than 10 per cent, respondents should readjust their salary expectations, Ms Roeder said.

"Respondents in Singapore wanting a salary increase above what employers are planning to award are advised to do their homework and know why their performance merits a larger increase.

"Candidates also need to keep up with economic news as well as keeping abreast of market conditions to ensure their expectations are managed accordingly."

Still, 13 per cent of employees in Singapore are not expecting a pay rise at all, while 29 per cent are expecting an increase of between 3 per cent and 6 per cent, and 25 per cent up to 3 per cent.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 22, 2017, with the headline Expect more moderate pay rise: Hays poll. Subscribe