2020 was a year unlike any other in recent memory, with businesses and workforces worldwide facing unparalleled challenges.
 
In Asia, traditional revenue streams were hampered, resulting in salary and recruitment slowdowns, and a new working normal was imposed. As businesses turned to the latest technological advancements in order to counterbalance the effects of the pandemic, employees sought to augment salaries as working-from-home eroded their work-life balance.
 
While these trends were universal, differing circumstances meant that the area’s key regions experienced contrasting challenges, and predictions on how 2021 will pan out across the region vary, with businesses in China and Singapore most positive regarding economic improvements.

 

In the 2021 Hays Asia Salary Guide, we uncover the trends that will shape all facets of industry and recruitment in 2021. From the digital transformation of Malaysia’s supply chain sector and the influence of AI on Japan’s retail companies, to the increase in demand for trilingual candidates throughout Hong Kong SAR, we leave no stone unturned in our examination of the year that has gone by and, most importantly, the one that is to come.

 

The 2021 report includes:

 

• The observations of working professionals and employers across Asia, covering China, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, unearthing the key components that will define business and recruitment in 2021: digitalisation, salary concerns, upskilling and cautious positivity.

 

• The definitive, most comprehensive breakdown of Asia’s salaries for positions across a wide array of industries, available.

 

• Country-specific, expert insights and recommendations for both employers and employees to adopt in the coming year.

 

By analysing the findings from our extensive survey, the 2021 Hays Asia Salary Guide shines a spotlight on the demands, requirements and hopes for companies and candidates operating across the broad spectrum of Asia’s workplaces, offering guidance and understanding that they may exploit in facing, and overcoming, the challenges of an uncertain 2021.