A person working as Environmental Scientist in Hong Kong typically earns around 54,200 HKD. Salaries range from 27,600 HKD (lowest) to 83,500 HKD (highest).
This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Environmental Scientist salaries in Hong Kong vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Minimum Salary 27,600 HKD |
Median 49,700 HKD |
Maximum 83,500 HKD |
Salaries for the position Environmental Scientist in Hong Kong range from 27,600 HKD (starting salary) to 83,500 HKD (maximum salary). It should be noted that the given figure is not the legally mandated minimum wage; rather, it represents the lowest figure reported in a salary survey that included thousands of participants and professionals from all regions of the country.
With a median salary of 49,700 HKD, half of the professionals who work as Environmental Scientist in Hong Kong earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more. The median salary denotes the middle value of salaries. Ideally, you would want to belong to the group earning more than the median salary, located on the right side of the salary distribution graph.
The median is closely associated with two other values known as the 25th and 75th percentiles. By examining the salary distribution chart, it can be determined that 25% of professionals employed as Environmental Scientist in Hong Kong earn less than 41,000 HKD, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 56,600 HKD while 25% earn more.
To provide a better understanding of expected salaries, we categorized the frequently occurring salaries into different ranges. This approach provides a more precise representation of salary distribution for the job title Environmental Scientist in Hong Kong compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 31,800 HKD to 43,900 HKD. About 20% of salaries are below the 31,800 HKD mark, while 10% fall within the range of 43,900 HKD to 49,500 HKD. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 49,500 HKD.
0 - 2 Years | 31,000 HKD | |
2 - 5 Years | +31% | 40,500 HKD |
5 - 10 Years | +40% | 56,700 HKD |
10 - 15 Years | +20% | 68,100 HKD |
15 - 20 Years | +9% | 74,000 HKD |
20+ Years | +8% | 79,800 HKD |
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience the higher the wage. We broke down salaries by experience level for people working as Environmental Scientist and this is what we found.
Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 31,000 HKD.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 40,500 HKD, 31% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 56,700 HKD, 40% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, professionals whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 68,100 HKD, 20% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 74,000 HKD, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 79,800 HKD, 8% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
Bachelor's Degree | 36,600 HKD | |
Master's Degree | +49% | 54,400 HKD |
PhD | +45% | 79,000 HKD |
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down salaries by education level for the position Environmental Scientist in order to make a comparison.
Employees at this education level have an average salary of 36,600 HKD.
At this level, the average salary becomes 54,400 HKD, 49% more than the previous level.
At this level, the average salary becomes 79,000 HKD, 45% more than the previous level.
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Hong Kong costs anywhere from 184,000 HKD to 551,000 HKD and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch to a higher-paying job. The numbers seem to support the theory. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? For the people who work as Environmental Scientist in Hong Kong, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 11%.
Male | 57,100 HKD | |
Female | -10% | 51,500 HKD |
Individuals working as Environmental Scientist in Hong Kong are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 7% every 31 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 4% granted to employees every 29 months.
The term Annual Salary Increase usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rare that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one-year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 / Increase Frequency
Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.
63% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 37% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 6% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 37% | |
No Bonus | 63% |
The most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually, jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fixed amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The minimum pay rate per hour for people working as Environmental Scientist in Hong Kong is 160 HKD. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Environmental | -100% | |
Air Quality Specialist | 30,400 HKD | -44% |
Carbon Market Analyst | 32,400 HKD | -40% |
Carbon Offset Broker | 29,500 HKD | -46% |
Circular Economy Consultant | 40,500 HKD | -25% |
Climate Change Actuary | 29,700 HKD | -45% |
Climate Change Adaptation Specialist | 32,500 HKD | -40% |
Climate Risk Manager | 46,800 HKD | -14% |
Ecological Restoration Specialist | 39,900 HKD | -26% |
Ecotourism Guide | 22,700 HKD | -58% |
Environment Advisor | 46,100 HKD | -15% |
Environmental and Agricultural Scientist | 54,700 HKD | +1% |
Environmental and Conservation Photographer | 20,700 HKD | -62% |
Environmental Assistant | 19,700 HKD | -64% |
Environmental Compliance Engineer | 29,900 HKD | -45% |
Environmental Compliance Inspector | 23,100 HKD | -57% |
Environmental Coordinator | 19,400 HKD | -64% |
Environmental Data Scientist | 37,100 HKD | -32% |
Environmental Economist | 53,100 HKD | -2% |
Environmental Educator | 40,400 HKD | -25% |
Environmental Engineer | 31,000 HKD | -43% |
Environmental Health and Safety Manager | 56,800 HKD | +5% |
Environmental Health Practitioner | 60,300 HKD | +11% |
Environmental Impact Assessor | 40,000 HKD | -26% |
Environmental Justice Advocate | 29,400 HKD | -46% |
Environmental Manager | 53,200 HKD | -2% |
Environmental Officer | 16,800 HKD | -69% |
Environmental Planner | 21,200 HKD | -61% |
Environmental Policy Analyst | 43,100 HKD | -20% |
Environmental Protection Officer | 16,600 HKD | -69% |
Environmental Restoration Planner | 29,900 HKD | -45% |
Environmental Scientist | 54,200 HKD | +0% |
Environmental Services Coordinator | 17,500 HKD | -68% |
Environmental Specialist | 24,900 HKD | -54% |
Environmental Superintendent | 22,500 HKD | -58% |
Environmental Technician | 16,400 HKD | -70% |
Forestry Consultant | 37,800 HKD | -30% |
Forestry Supervisor | 24,100 HKD | -56% |
Geologist | 54,500 HKD | +1% |
Green Building Analyst | 26,800 HKD | -51% |
Green Building Consultant | 26,700 HKD | -51% |
Green Energy Engineer | 30,200 HKD | -44% |
Green Energy Lawyer | 41,400 HKD | -24% |
Green Infrastructure Planner | 43,800 HKD | -19% |
Permaculture Designer | 30,700 HKD | -43% |
Recycling Consultant | 35,600 HKD | -34% |
Recycling Coordinator | 22,600 HKD | -58% |
Senor Environmental Health Practitioner | 61,400 HKD | +13% |
Social Compliance Analyst | 28,400 HKD | -48% |
Stormwater Manager | 28,300 HKD | -48% |
Sustainability Engineer | 34,500 HKD | -36% |
Toxicologist | 37,500 HKD | -31% |
Waste Management Manager | 56,100 HKD | +4% |
Waste Tracking Specialist | 44,000 HKD | -19% |
Water Conservationist | 30,800 HKD | -43% |
Water Resource Manager | 34,600 HKD | -36% |
Water Treatment Superintendent | 29,200 HKD | -46% |
Zero Waste Manager | 37,300 HKD | -31% |
Where can you get paid more, working in a private company or the government? The difference between the public or government sector salaries and the private sector salaries in Hong Kong is 10% on average across all career fields.
Private Sector | 35,600 HKD | |
Public Sector | +10% | 39,300 HKD |
A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 49,700 HKD and 56,600 HKD. This is a very rough estimate. Experience and education play a very huge part in the final earnings.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.
The base salary for a careers like Environmental Scientist in Hong Kong ranges from 27,600 HKD to 41,000 HKD. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range with a grain of salt.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people earn more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary