Hong Kong's biggest corporate players are awarding traditional year-end performance bonuses this year, even as the local economy struggles, unemployment remains high and other companies pare back salaries and staff.
Among the blue chips, employees at Hutchison Whampoa and Sun Hung Kai Properties were paid their bonuses before Christmas, while Jardine Group will dispatch its bonus next month.
Hutchison continued to give at least an extra month, or in some cases 'several months' for high-performing staff, despite a difficult economic environment causing many Hong Kong companies to abandon the traditional 13th-month system.
The payment was said to be 'unchanged' from last year, according to various sources from Hutchison and its subsidiaries. Hutchison, which operates a range of businesses such as ParknShop, AS Watson, Hutchison Telecom and Hutchison International Terminals, employs about 60,000 staff in Hong Kong, including its associates and affiliated companies.
One staff member said: 'Given the poor environment, there is no complaint. In fact, I am very thankful.' Another added that the firm had been trying to maintain bonuses this year.
A SHKP spokesman confirmed that most of its 17,000 employees in Hong Kong received a performance bonus this year.
