Press Releases

• Most employers (63 per cent) in Japan plan salary increases up to three per cent this year.
• In many cases, salary levels of high-skilled professionals in China, Hong Kong and Singapore exceed those in Japan.
• Salary and benefit package (41%) is the key driver for candidates in China looking for a new employer, while in Japan, the key driver is seeking new challenges (54%).

The Hays Salary Guide, released today, highlights salary and recruiting trends drawn from more than 3,000 employers across China, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Japan representing six million employees as well as the salary ranges for more than 1,200 roles.

The Guide reveals the majority of employers in Japan (63 per cent) plan increases of up to three per cent in the next review period.  By contrast, employers in China (60 per cent) expect an increase of more than six per cent, while the majority of companies in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia expect an increase of three to six per cent.

1)   Salary increases over the next 12 months (Asia average)

Salary increases over the next 12 months (by region)

 2)     Salary comparison of key roles by country (JPY million)

*Salaries do not include bonuses for Executive Assistant, Sales Director (Life Sciences) Teller, CFO, FP&A Director and Analyst. Other roles are representative of the total package value

“The Guide reveals that up to a certain role level in Asia, salaries are comparatively higher in Japan. Salaries for roles in Japan such as Project Managers (IT), Programmers or R&D Engineers (Automotive) are offered a higher salary range compared to China,” says Marc Burrage, Managing Director of Hays in Japan.

“But when it gets to a certain level where the role demands experience and skills, the situation flips, where you begin to see the salary range become much higher in China.”

“In Japan, one of the key reasons for candidates to move to a new employer is to seek new challenges (54%) followed by lack of career progression in their current role (48%), so you can see that it’s not always about the money,” said Marc.

“The biggest challenge employers have been facing is the talent shortage caused by the significant gap between the skills they need and those available, but although wages have been increasing much quicker than we have historically seen, most employers can still keep salaries in check. To fill shortages, Japan’s employers should focus more on strategies to retain their best talent and provide opportunities for upskilling and new challenges.”

Get your copy of the 2016 Hays Asia Salary Guide by visiting http://www.hays.co.jp/en/salary-guide/index.htm or downloading The Hays Salary Guide 2016 iPhone app from iTunes.

Hays, the world’s leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.

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For further information please contact Yuki Noro, Public Relations of Hays in Japan on +81 (0) 3 3560 1529 or [email protected]

About Hays

Hays is the leading global specialist recruiting group. It is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide.

Hays Specialist Recruitment Japan KK ("Hays") is the largest foreign recruitment company in Japan and operates across the private sector, providing services for permanent recruitment, contract and temporary roles, RPO (Hays Talent Solutions) and IT Solutions.  Hays has been in Japan for more than a decade, and boasts a track record of success and growth.

Hays is the only foreign recruitment company in Japan to operate specialist business units composed of professionals with experience and expertise in the sectors they cover. Hays Japan’s thirteen specialisms span Accountancy & Finance, Banking, Finance Technology, Human Resources, Information Technology, Insurance, Legal, Life Sciences, Office Professionals, Property, Sales & Marketing, Supply Chain and Manufacturing & Operations.

Hays is also the only foreign recruitment company in Japan to operate four local offices, serving the Kanto region from 2 offices in Tokyo, Yokohama, and Kansai from central Osaka.

Hays Japan is the local representative office for Hays plc, which is a global company. As at 30 June 2015 Hays employed 9,023 staff operating from 240 offices in 33 countries across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2015, Hays reported net fees of £764.2 million and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £164.1 million. Hays placed around 63,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 200,000 people into temporary assignments. 23% of Group net fees were generated in Asia Pacific.

Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA.