Wages of bar benders have become a good measure of the city's economy.
Because Wong Wai-man, who has been in the bar-bending trade for 33 years, has been affected by the ups and downs of the construction industry during that time, he knows as much about the booms and busts of the property market as any economist or official.
Nowadays, the construction industry and the trades in it, such as bar bending, are enjoying a boom.
'The [pay] rise is okay,' Wong, 55, said, 'It does make the workers feel better as the rate is finally getting back to the 1997 level.'
Last week, the Bar-bending Contractors Association promised to raise the daily rate for bar benders to HK$1,200 - HK$100 more than the current rate. The daily wage will increase to nearly HK$1,500 by 2014 as the association has promised an annual 10 per cent pay rise for the next three years.
Wong has two grown-up children from his first marriage and two stepchildren from his current wife. Except for the youngest one, who is at vocational school, the others have graduated from university and support themselves.