Pay hikes in India to fall to decadal low in 2020: Report

The sharpest drop in pay hikes was projected in the auto sector, reflecting its stressed situation.

The e-commerce sector was seen giving double-digit pay hikes -- among the highest across 20 sectors -- surveyed by human resource consultancy firm Aon Plc.

"The vehicle manufacturing industry reported the biggest drop, from 10.1 per cent in 2018 to 8.3 per cent for 2020," the survey showed.

As per the survey results, companies in India gave an average pay increase of 9.3 per cent during 2019, reflecting a slowdown in the economy as compared to 2018.

"The projection for 2020 is down by 20 basis points to 9.1 per cent. However, despite the dip in the projections, two out of five participating companies in the survey are projecting a double-digit increase, expecting a positive economic outlook," the report said.

India Inc's pay hikes, however, stand higher than that of its Asian peers. Aon says that the Chinese companies are expected to offer 6.3 per cent hike, the Philippines 5.8 per cent, Malaysia 5.3 per cent, Singapore 3.8 per cent, Australia 3.1 per cent and Japan 2.4 per cent.

The survey, which has analysed data from over 1,000 firms in 20 sectors, says that start-ups, e-commerce services and pharma firms will be the top paymasters in 2020.

The e-commerce and start-up firms are set to offer 10 per cent average hike, same as by professional services, while pharma and IT companies are likely to hike salaries by 9.9 per cent and 9.6 per cent, respectively.