By Sue-Ann Chia
MANAGERS and professionals, shrugging off signs of a job slowdown, are not budging on the starting pay they want, according to manpower surveys.

Only one in 10 of the employers that human resource consultancy Hudson polled said it could convince a new manager to accept a lower salary.

Similarly, a survey of almost 900 professionals by recruitment firm Robert Walters found 95 per cent want a pay rise of at least 10 per cent, and 23 per cent are eyeing a hike of 30 per cent or more.

Part of the reason is the high cost of living, said Ms Gina McLellan, Hudson's country manager here.

'They are thinking, nothing is getting cheaper, why should I accept less pay?' she said.

Another reason is that the job market is still buoyant despite the global slowdown.

'There is a bit of a drop this year, but there are still a lot of jobs out there,' said Ms McLellan.

Her company found the emerging mismatch in pay expectations of job seekers and employers' hiring plans in its latest surveys.

On the hiring of executives during the July to September period this year, it found only 43 per cent of the 768 'employment decision makers' that it polled here want to do so.

This is a slide from the 49 per cent of the previous quarter, and the 54 per cent of the July to September period last year.

Nine out of 10 executives are unwilling to lower their pay expectations.

Most resistant are those in manufacturing, especially those armed with skills in rare and specialised areas such as research and development.

Mr Mark Ellwood, Robert Walters' managing director for Singapore, says job seekers should lower their expectations or they may price themselves out of the market.

But there are signs that professionals are starting to be less ambitious about what they can get.

The Hudson report said only 11 per cent reported that the salaries offered to them was at least 10 per cent lower than what they had wanted, against the 57 per cent who said so in the last quarter of 2007.

Mr Peter Lee, managing consultant of Remuneration Data Specialists, believes most workers have 'realistic' wage expectations that are in line with trends in the job market.

His observation was echoed by Mr Charles Ong, human resource manager of Murata Electronics.

Most job seekers will always try to get more pay, he noted, but when push comes to shove, they will accept what is being offered.

sueann@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The Straits Times on July 25, 2008.