Q3 2017 Hong Kong Recruitment Market Insights,

Throughout Q2 2017, Technology hiring continued to be on the rise in Hong Kong. We saw a growing demand for developers across the financial services and commercial sectors.

Professionals skilled in Java, .NET/C# and C++ continued to be highly sought after, as multinational corporations and financial institutions gained momentum to invest in large-scale development projects.

Agile developers have become hot assets

In the last few months, the job market for Banking IT professionals progressed from lukewarm to hot as banks grow their Cash Equities, Derivatives, Prime Services and FICC desks in the region. We are currently seeing a high demand for developers with experience in Java, C++, Python and C#.NET.

However, acquiring the right talent in these areas has become more challenging. Most banks now follow Agile methodology, which requires developers to do more than just coding—they are also required to do support, requirement gathering, project management and UAT.

Today's developers are required to front the business and even speak to clients, so employers are seeking those who have multitasking ability, working asset class knowledge and excellent communications skills. The hiring demand for developers ranges from junior to senior-level appointments.

Banks went bigger on the customer journey

Digital, Big Data and AI space were also areas that saw continued growth in Q2 2017. Banks were finally realising the potential power of data and on how they can really reach out to their customers with these mass information.

We saw a huge demand for Data Analyst, Digital Strategist and Digital Transformation professionals, which helped to bring the banking industry back on track in embracing "customer user experience", a crucial area where banks seemed to be lagging behind as compared to the advancements we have been seeing in the insurance industry.

Commercial firms in need of Tech talent

In the second quarter of 2017, on the Commerce side, a few large-scale multinationals have scaled down and undergone restructuring, though there were still local and Chinese firms with a very high hiring demand.

Hatch for startups

In Q2 2017, we launched Hatch, a unique recruitment solution designed for startups. Hatch has been well received by the market since its launch.

The startup ecosystem in Hong Kong has been booming in recent years and is still going strong. Today, there are over 2,000 startups here that seek high-calibre talents to build market-disruptive products across FinTech, Internet of Things, Sharing Economy, and e-Commerce. Experts in Web, Mobile, Server-side Development, and Data Analytics have been and will continue to be in high demand.

Web and Mobile have been evolving at a phenomenal rate. We predict that React Native from Facebook will potentially be the next popular framework, and professionals skilled in this area will be in demand.

Blockchain and AI, the recent talk of the town, have attracted a lot of investments but true experts in these areas have been elusive and hard to identify.

The waging war for qualified Tech talent

As we progress along Q3 2017, we expect the Technology hiring momentum to continue, especially as banks push towards filling the remaining headcounts this year.

The talent war amongst Cybersecurity, Data Science and Digital professionals will continue.

Technology
Salary Report for Q3 2017*

Commerce & Industry
Job title	Years of experience	Annual salary range (HK$)
IT Management
Chief Information Officer	15+	1.5M–2.5M+
Chief Technology Officer	15+	1.3M–2.2M+
IT Director	12+	1.2M+
Senior IT Manager	10+	720K–840K
IT Manager	8+	600K–800K
Project Management
Program Manager / Director	12–15	800K–1.2M
Senior / Project Manager	10–15	480K–840K
Senior / Business Analyst	5–8	360K–720K
Technical Consultant	6–8	480K–600K
Pre / Post-sales Consultant	5–8	360K–600K
Application Development
Solution / Applications / Systems Architect	12+	480K–950K
System / Application Development Manager	9+	480K–840K
System Analyst	6+	336K–480K
Analyst Programmer	4–6	300K–360K
Senior / Programmer	0–4	144K–288K
RDBMS Developer / DBA	4–10	200K–660K
Infrastructure
Infrastructure Director	10+	1M–1.8M
Senior / Infrastructure Manager	8+	480K–800K
Infrastructure / Network Architect	10+	600K–1.2M
Infrastructure Analyst / System Specialist	6+	300K–420K
Senior / Network Engineer	4–7	360K–600K
Senior / System Engineer	2–5	280K–460K
Security Manager / Consultant	8+	600K–900K
Security Analyst	4–5	360K–480K
Database / Data Centre
Senior / Database Administrator	5+	360K–480K
Data Warehousing / BI Specialist	7+	480K–600K
Data Architect	10+	720K–960K
Data Centre Project Manager	12+	840K–1.2M
Support
IT Support—1st Tier	0–3	180K–276K
IT Support—2nd Tier	2–5	204K–324K
IT Support—3rd Tier	5+	324K–396K
Helpdesk Manager	8+	540K–600K
Senior / System Administrator	5+	288K–400K
Senior / Network Administrator	5+	360K–480K
Testing
QA Engineer	1–3	216K–300K
Testing Manager	8+	540K–780K

Banking & Financial Services
Job title	Years of experience	Annual salary range (HK$)
IT Management
Chief Information Officer (ED to MD)	15+	1.7M–2.7M+
IT Director	12+	1.3M+
Senior IT Manager	10+	750K–900K
IT Manager	8+	600K–800K
Project Management
Project Director	15+	1.3M–1.5M
Program Manager (VP to D)	15+	800K–1.5M
Senior Project Manager	10+	800K–1.2M
Project Manager	6–10+	650K–1M
Senior Business Analyst	8–10	700K–1M
Business Analyst	4+	450K–650K
Application Development
Application Development Manager	10–15	750K–1.1M
Lead Analyst Programmer	5–10	500K–800K
Analyst Programmer	3–5	350K–550K
Analyst Programmer	1–3	220K–350K
Architect—Applications, Solutions, Systems, Data (VP to SVP)	12–18	800K–1.2M
Database Administrator	3–5	480K–600K
Database Administrator	1–5	360K–480K
C++ / Java	6– 15	240K– 720K
.NET	6–15	240K–720K
RDBMS Developer / DBA	6– 15	240K– 720K
Infrastructure / Network
Infrastructure Director (ED to MD)	15+	1.5M– 2.4M
Infrastructure Manager (SVP to ED)	10–15	900K–1.5M
Infrastructure Architect (VP to SVP)	6– 15	650K– 1M
Network Architect	8–10+	750K–1M
Network Engineer	5– 8	500K– 800K
Network Support (1st / 2nd Level)	3–5	360K–500K
Network Support (1st / 2nd Level)	1– 3	240K– 360K
Systems Administrator	4–8	400K–600K
3rd Level Support	5– 10	350K– 550K
Security Director (SVP to ED)	15+	900K–1.5M
Security Manager (VP to SVP)	8– 15	650K– 1M
Security Architect (VP to SVP)	4–8	650K–1M
Security Analyst	4– 10	260K– 450K
Database
Senior / Database Administrator	5– 7	380K– 500K
Data Warehousing / BI Specialist	7–10	600K–750K
Data Architect	10– 15	800K– 1M
Data Centre Project Manager	12–15	850K–1.3M
Database Administrator	3– 5	380K– 500K
Database Administrator	1–3	500K–650K
Helpdesk Support
Helpdesk Analyst (1st Level)	1–3	220K–320K
Helpdesk Analyst (2nd Level)	3– 5	350K– 550K
Desktop Support Analyst (1st Level)	1–3	300K–400K
Desktop Support Analyst (2nd Level)	3– 5	380K– 500K
Desktop Support Analyst (3rd Level)	5–8	500K–620K
Unix Administrator	3– 6	500K– 650K
Network Administrator	3–6	500K–750K
Helpdesk Manager	8– 12	750K– 950K
Trading Systems Support	6–15	450K–900K

*Notes about salary table:

Titles and levels vary from organisation to organisation.
The salary ranges given are only approximate guides. For tailored salary advice, please contact us directly.
12-month base salaries are assumed.
All other benefits and bonuses are in addition to these figures.
Bonus ranges can vary significantly from company to company and will be influenced by market conditions, business and individual performances. Bonus ranges from 1 month at the low end to 100%+ at the upper.
Holiday entitlements range from 12–25 days with senior executives not usually receiving less than 18 days. Less than 15 is very rare and 20 days is becoming the norm.
Healthcare policies are standard.
Pension plans vary with some companies offering greater than the standard contribution. Top up schemes can increase employer contribution levels as much as 15–20% of the base salary for senior executives.