India would see the highest salary increase in the Asia Pacific region, followed by China and the Philippines, which are likely to see 9.5 per cent and 6.9 per cent salary hikes, respectively, in 2012. India has topped the list in terms of salary hikes for tenth consecutive year within Asia Pacific region.

Employees in India are likely to get this year a salary increase of 11.9 per cent, putting the country on the top for tenth year in a row in terms of pay hikes within the Asia Pacific region, a survey showed on Tuesday. As per the survey conducted by global human resources consulting and outsourcing firm Aon Hewitt, the salary hikes for India in 2012 would decline marginally from 12.6 per cent in 2011 due to a cautious approach by employers, but it would still figure among the highest in the world. According to its annual India Salary Increase Survey released here on Tuesday, the projected pay hikes in indicate a positive, yet cautious, outlook by the organisations amid an uncertain economic environment. India would see the highest salary increase in the Asia Pacific region, followed by China and the Philippines, which are likely to see 9.5 per cent and 6.9 per cent salary hikes, respectively, in 2012. India has topped the list in terms of salary hikes for tenth consecutive year within Asia Pacific region. Among other Asia Pacific nations, Australia is likely to see a modest 4.6 per cent hike, Hong Kong 5 per cent, Japan 2.8 per cent, Malaysia 6.2 per cent and Singapore 4.8 per cent. "We are seeing encouraging signs in recent weeks on business sentiments," said Sandeep Chaudhary, Practice Leader, Compensation Consulting at Aon Hewitt.

"While organizations across industries are keeping a keen and watchful eye on this oscillating macro-economic environment, the number reiterates that organizations are taking a long-term view on talent," he added. In India, the general/entry level staff is likely to get 11.8 per cent salary hike, while junior manager level will see 12.3 per cent, middle management 12 per cent and senior management 11.1 per cent increase this year. The survey covered 550 organisations, representing 19 primary and 31 sub-sectors, and was conducted over a three-month period from November 2011 to January 2012. In terms of sectors, pharmaceutical space is likely to witness a 13.3 per cent salary hike for 2012, followed by engineering design/services projects at 13 per cent. Infrastructure with 12.9 per cent and heavy engineering and FMCG sectors with 12.4 per cent hike would continue to get higher salary increases than the country-average for the second year in a row.

The Information Technology (IT) and outsourcing sectors would see salary hikes of 11.9 per cent and 11.8 per cent, respectively, despite the continuing concerns over the impact of a weak global economy. Telecom and Financial Institutions are projected to see lowest salary increases for 2012 at 11 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively, plagued by various regulatory hurdles, policy issues and the slowdown in the global economy. Salaries for critical talent are projected to increase by 15.1 per cent this year, which would be higher by over three percentage points than the overall average, as India Inc is concentrating efforts on identifying top talent and rewarding them accordingly, Aon Hewitt said.