Hong Kong university graduates take home less pay than counterparts 30 years ago and one in six ends up in unskilled job, study finds
- Median monthly starting salary of university graduate was HK$14,395 last year, compared with HK$20,231 in 1987
A degree in Hong Kong can no longer guarantee a decent income, with one in six university graduates taking on low-paid, unskilled work, a study has found.
Fresh university graduates are taking home less pay than they did 30 years ago, according to the study released on Monday, which analysed official data collected as far back as 1987.
The study, by public policy group New Century Forum, showed the median monthly starting salary of a university graduate was HK$20,231 back in 1987. The level sank to HK$15,457 in 1997, dropped further to HK$13,100 in 2012 and only bounced back to HK$14,395 (US$1,842) in 2017.
It was also found that the median salary of employees with university qualifications fell 10.4 per cent over the past decade, from HK$32,133 a month in 2007 to HK$28,790 in 2017. The median salary levels were HK$24,277 and HK$29,726 in 1987 and 1997 respectively.
By comparison, the median wage of the overall workforce rose from HK$8,670 in 1987 to HK$17,274 in 2017, or a 99.2 per cent increase over the period.