Do employees have unrealistic wage demands?

Singapore - At least 45% of executives say they expect an increase of 20% or more when changing jobs, according to a survey by Robert Walters.

After polling of 3,500 executives worldwide, 40% of Singaporean employees say they expect their salaries to increase 20% to 30% or more when taking on a new job. This is followed by 32% of Singaporeans who expect a 10% to 20% increase.

However, half of Chinese employees say they expect an increase of 30% more.

While the high expectations among Asian employees reflect the bullish Asian economy, Mark Ellwood, managing director at Robert Walters Singapore says companies that are headquartered in US or Europe are grappling with financial troubles and would be wary of any cost increases.

"It would be ambitious to continue to expect a 30%+ salary increase; even something over 20% would be a considerable increase," cautions Ellwood. He also warns candidates of the need to be aware of market conditions, or they may find themselves priced out of the market.

Speaking to Human Resources magazine, Dave Berry, business leader of human capital in ASEAN for Mercer says that wage increases may vary according to the various sectors. While employees in the finance industry should not expect a higher increase, businesses that are booming and have difficulty retaining employees could cope with wage increases.