Poll: property pay packages differ in Asia

SALARIES of real estate professionals in Singapore have risen 9 per cent, ahead of China's 7 per cent but still lower than Malaysia's 11 per cent and Hong Kong's 9.2 per cent, according to a survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and property recruitment specialist MacDonald & Company.

The findings were from the annual Asia Rewards & Attitudes Survey, which polled 1,525 real estate professionals, of which 208 were from Singapore. The survey, which was conducted online between November last year and January this year, included professionals in the fields of property development and investment, fund management, project management, quantity surveying and agency at all levels, from assistants and trainees to managers and executive directors.

The results from the survey reflect the different stages of development for the property sectors in various Asian markets, said Peter Moore, managing director of MacDonald and Company. Malaysia, with the highest salary growth rate, is struggling to attract more people into the real estate sector as its domestic market continues to do well, and as Malaysian investors and developers take up overseas ventures, he added.