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^{₂nd _{Quarter Newsletter 2020}}

SALARY OVERVIEW

Hong Kong - China - Singapore - Thailand 

Message from the Chairman

Dear Friends of Gemini,

It is very encouraging that Hong Kong has had a very low number of virus cases with few fatalities. Nevertheless we are all looking forward to seeing the restrictions lifted progressively and a return to normal (whatever that is).

On the positive side many people have now taken the opportunity to update their resumes and seek new employment opportunities. So we have plenty of excellent candidates in almost every industry! Please contact your Gemini consultant for help. Virtual interviews can be arranged if required.

Gemini’s Human Resources Consulting Division has also been very busy. Apart from outplacement counseling offered to companies shedding staff Gemini also covers training and coaching, psychometric and skills assessment, salary and benefits assessments and many other useful services.

Looking around the region, at the time of writing, Singapore and Thailand remain in heavy lock-down but China is becoming very active again. All of the Gemini offices are functioning and China and Hong Kong are open and fully staffed.

Gemini will be launching an exciting new product in the interim management space soon – watch out for details!

James C Sutherland
Chairman

Hong Kong

The impact of COVID-19 on Hong Kong's workforce

Hong Kong businesses have implemented a variety of measures to ensure a safe and healthy working environment. This "new normal" leads to a lot of questions around ensuring staff's health and safety. Hong Kong's labour legislation can provide some guidance. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance (Cap 509) states that employers must ensure a healthy and safe workplace. To achieve this organisations should implement measures to create a healthy office environment (e.g. temperature checking and providing hand sanitiser), prevent employees from transmitting the virus in the workplace (e.g. requiring all employees to immediately report whether they are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever), and take responsibility and adequate action to avoid COVID-19 outbreaks in the office (e.g. isolate employees once it becomes known that they might be infected and deep-clean the offices).

Some employers have instructed individual employees who have been in contact with individuals confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 to self-quarantine. In Hong Kong employers cannot unilaterally decide to place employees on unpaid leave, and therefore unpaid leave always has to be mutually agreed. Atlernatively, asking employees to work from home is a good solution, provided that this is a possibility. Allowing the employee to take annual leave, or a reduction in salary might be other solutions to deal with the employee's absence during the quarantine period.

Regardless of the option implemented, employers should always ensure that employees who are on annual leave, statutory sick leave or are working from home continue to receive their wages, statutory and contractual benefits. Agreements on changed working conditions should be written and signed by both employers and employees to avoid disputes later.

To ensure a safe working environment, companies might ask their employees to undergo temperature testing or complete health declaration forms. The Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap 486) provides guidance on the collection of medical data from employees.

When collecting and using medical data, employers should:

• Collect only necessary medical data;
• Inform employees of the purposes of collection and how it will be used and distributed (if applicable);
• Ensure that personal data is fairly collected;
• Only collect data when the purpose is within the scope of the intended purpose or purposes under Section 59 of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance.
  
  

Source: International Law Office

News from the HR Consulting Division

Workshops for job seekers

The coronavirus outbreak has led to a reshuffling in the labour market, thousands have been let go over the last 3 months and it is projected that the unemployment rate in Hong Kong will rise above 5%. It is undoubtedly a challenging time for all job seekers as there are fewer jobs available and competition is fierce.

Preparation is vital for all job seekers to embrace the challenge.  Gemini Development, being a regional leader in career transition, hopes to support the job seekers and give back to society during this challenging time. We will be hosting a free live Q&A sessions in May and June, where HR professionals from a variety of industries will answer industry-related questions on the current job market, whilst Gemini's career coaches will provide guidance and advice to attendees on their job search.

Next to that, to support organisations who want to take care of employees losing their job because of the virus, Gemini's one-day job search workshop has been redesigned so it can be conducted virtually. The workshop focuses on preparing for managing the job search, offering comprehensive tools and advice on all aspects of the process, including CV writing, online visibility, interview preparation, networking skills and salary negotiations.  The cost for the workshop is HKD 800 per head for cost redemption.

Keep an eye on Gemini's website and social channels, or contact us directly for more information.

Salary benchmark project

Gemini Development has provided an in-depth salary benchmark to a financial services company. We were asked to benchmark all job levels and functions that exist within their organisation to provide up the senior management with up to date market data.

With over 30' years experience as a Human Capital service provider in the region Gemini possesses a wealth of market information. Our network of candidates combined with our market knowledge enabled us to compare the organisation's remuneration packages to prevailing market rates, for all levels across job functions.

Correlations between a number of variables (e.g. level of education, work experience, professional qualifications, and managerial experience) and remuneration package were presented in the final report. The benchmark provided valuable insights to the client, allowing them to not only understand better what to offer future hires, but it also resulted in a revision of the existing remuneration structure to ensure the organisation was able to retain its talent.

Also looking to benchmark your organisation's current remuneration structure? Contact us for a customised analysis and report. 

Top 5 Candidates

Chief Information Officer

Nationality: Indian     

Based: Hong Kong

Languages: English

Availability: Immediately

Skills:

Innovation, AI & Automation, Digital Transformation, ERP, Enterprise Architecture.

For more information about this candidate, please contact Andrew Wang

Finance Director

Nationality: Chinese

Based: Hong Kong

Languages: Cantonese, English and Mandarin

Availability: Two or three months' notice

Skills:

Oversee all financial matters including the financing, reporting and internal control etc.

For more information about this candidate, please contact Andrew Wang

Chief Marketing Officer

Nationality: Hong Kong

Based: Hong Kong

Languages: English, Cantonese, Mandarin

Availability: Immediately

Skills:

Digital marketing, digital music marketing, social media, SEO/SEM, CRM.

For more information about this candidate, please contact Andrew Wang

Senior Purchasing Manager

Nationality: Hong Kong       

Based: Hong Kong/China

Languages: Native Cantonese, Good English and Mandarin

Availability: Immediately

Skills:

Over 15 years of solid experience with key MNCs in Sourcing/Procurement, with a track record of significantly reducing costs and improving suppliers’ performance and relationship. Focusing on Electronic & Mechanical parts, and formulating and implementing corporate procurement process improvements and delivering results against strategic objectives.

For more information about this candidate, please contact Kitty So

Investment Director, Private Equity

Nationality: Hong Kong

Based: Hong Kong

Languages: English, Cantonese and Mandarin

Availability: Two or three months' notice

Skills:

Private Equity, Venture Capital, Strategic Investment, Corporate Finance.

For more information about this candidate, please contact Andrew Wang

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