Average wages of various trades and industries in Hong Kong

2023-7-26

Minimum Wage in Hong Kong

Before describing the average wages of various sectors, I would like first to explain the minimum wage policy in Hong Kong. Before the implementation of the minimum wage policy, the media in Hong Kong often uncovered from time to time that unscrupulous employers had exploited the wages of low-income workers such as cleansing workers, construction workers and security guards, and so on. As a result, the community had heated discussions in the past on whether or not to set up a minimum wage and what the wage level should be.

After public opinion and public pressure, the government finally implemented the Statutory Minimum Wage (SMW) on 1 May 2011, the first SMW rate was set at HK$28 per hour (about 500 yen), subsequently, the rate was raised several times over the years, and since 1 May 2023, the SMW rate has been set at HK$40 per hour (about 720 yen).

Regarding the amount of minimum wage in Hong Kong, it is the responsibility of the Hong Kong Minimum Wage Commission (MWC), which is responsible for examining how to set the level of minimum wage in Hong Kong and establishing a review mechanism, and making recommendations to the Government. The members are comprised of members from the labour sector, the business sector, the academia and relevant government departments. MWC is required to make a recommendation report on the SMW rate to the Chief Executive in Council at least once every two years and adjust the minimum wage rate in accordance with the report.

Average Wages of Employees in Various Industries

The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) compiles annual statistics on the income levels of employees in various sectors. Below are some of the average incomes of employees in various sectors which I have compiled based on the 2022 Annual Earnings and Hours Survey (AEHS):

・Manufacturing： 18,300 HKD（～32,9000 Yen）
・Electricity and gas supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities：29,000 HKD（～ 52,1500Yen）
・Construction：23,900 HKD（～42,9800 Yen）
・Import and export trade：19,500 HKD（～35,0700 Yen）
・Wholesale：15,900 HKD（～28,6000 Yen）
・Retail trade：13,800 HKD（～24,8200 Yen）
・Land transport：19,800 HKD（～35,6100 Yen）
・Other transportation, storage, postal and courier services：18,700 HKD（～33,6300 Yen）
・Food and beverage services：14,000 HKD（～25,1800 Yen）
・Accommodation services：16,400 HKD（～29,5000 Yen）
・Information and communications：25,100 HKD（～45,1400 Yen）
・Financing and insurance：30,500 HKD（～54,8500 Yen）
・Real estate activities：22,800 HKD（～41,0000 Yen）
・Estate management, security and cleaning services：13,500 HKD（～24,2800 Yen）
・Professional, scientific and technical activities：26,000 HKD（～46,7600 Yen）
・Administrative and support services activities：18,000 HKD（～32,3700 Yen）
・Travel agency, reservation service and related activities：15,100 HKD（～27,1600 Yen）
・Education and public administration (excluding the Government)：31,000 HKD（～55,7500 Yen）
・Human health activities; and beauty and body prettifying treatment：20,000 HKD（～35,9700 Yen）
・Miscellaneous activities：13,900 HKD（～24,5000 Yen）
・Other activities not classified above：17,400 HKD（～31,3000 Yen）

As shown in the survey results, the median monthly wages by industry section ranked first in education and public administration (HK$31,000), second in financing and insurance (HK$30,500), third in electricity and gas supply (HK$29,000), followed by professional, scientific and technical activities (HK$26,000) and information and communications (HK$25,100).