Over the past decade, the average annual salary increase for middle-level managerial and professional employees, as measured by nominal salary index (A), was 1.1%, according to the January issue of the Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics.

Among the five industries surveyed for this issue, financial instiutions scored 2% growth - the highest of all. They were followed by wholesale, retail and import/export trades (1.2%), transport, storage, and communications (0.9%), and manufacturing, electricity and gas (0.7%). Building, construction and related trades marked a 0.6% decrease in salary.

The Census & Statistics Department said there was an apparent variation in the salary change rate between 1997 and 2006.

The average annual change rate of salary was a 2.6% increase for 1997-2001. It reversed to an average annual decrease of 1.7% for 2002-2004, before rising at an average annual rate of 1.4% for 2005-2006.

The significant reversion during 2002-2004 reflected the ongoing downward adjustment in costs and prices in the local economy, while the rise from 2005 was mainly due to the increase in consumer prices.

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