MEDIA CAREERS: HK4As recommends minimal pay increases

<p>The Hong Kong 4As has recommended that salary increases for agency </p><p>personnel this year should range between zero and three per cent. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This is in sharp contrast to this time last year, when the association </p><p>recommended an across-the-board pay freeze. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Hong Kong 4As chairman Jeffrey Yu said, "the worst appears to be over", </p><p>in reference to the territory's economy recovering from its recent </p><p>tumble into recession. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, he told MEDIA that the association adopted a conservative </p><p>stance on its pay hike advisory "because agencies must still be cautious </p><p>about prospects and take things step-by-step". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Yu added the recommendation is a guideline on what agency personnel </p><p>should expect to be getting. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"The recommendation applies to staff at all levels of an agency. We </p><p>cannot enforce it but the message to agency people is, 'this is what you </p><p>should be getting and if your raise fell inside the range we have </p><p>recommended then you know that what you have got is reasonable'." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The association also recommended that local China staffers working for </p><p>Hong Kong 4As agencies should get no more than a 10 per cent </p><p>increase. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Meanwhile, their expatriate counterparts should expect a salary hike of </p><p>between zero and three per cent. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The guidelines were unanimously approved by 4As members at the </p><p>association's recent general meeting. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>