'Don't Be Deterred By Lower Pay In GBA'

Fresh university graduates from Hong Kong are being urged to pursue career opportunities in the Greater Bay Area even though the average starting monthly salary there is lower than in the SAR.

Experts said that's because the area offers better prospects in the longer term due to its huge market size.

The 2021 Greater Bay Area Pay and Benefits Survey covered 94 organisations across 11 sectors in Hong Kong, including engineering, marketing and IT; 196 organisations in 10 sectors in cities in Guangdong province; and 12 organisations in Macau.

The survey was jointly conducted by the Centre for Human Resources Strategy and Development at Baptist University, Hong Kong People Management Association, Research Centre for Human Resources Management at South China University of Technology in Shenzhen, and Talent Development and Management Association of Guangdong through the use of online questionnaires.

Figures showed the average starting monthly pay for fresh graduates in Hong Kong was HK$14,543, compared with HK$6,823 in Guangdong.

Despite the discrepancy, Felix Yip, associate director of the Centre for Human Resources Strategy and Development at Baptist University, said cities in Guangdong are attractive to young people from Hong Kong.

"There are lots of new places being developed, and I think those are good opportunities for younger people particularly in this stage," he told RTHK's Vanessa Cheng.

"If they don't want to step in now... two to three years from now they may be losing that opportunity for stepping in."

He also noted that fresh graduates from Hong Kong have the edge over their mainland counterparts thanks to their education, training and international exposure.

According to the survey, the average pay rise in Hong Kong in 2022 is projected to range from 1.9 to 2.4 percent, compared with 2 - 2.3 percent in Macau and 5.3 - 5.8 percent in Guangdong.

Yip believes reopening the border is a key factor behind pay. "Hong Kong is an outgoing business market or community, so we rely very much on the influx of people. If the border cannot be opened, we'll be suffering a lot. It will affect our pay increase further."