Hong Kong property professionals have the highest average salary in the sector in Asia (minus Japan), a survey on current salaries and growth trends has shown.

The 2006 Asia Salary and Benefits Survey is the first of its kind in the region.

It was conducted by international professional organization Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and London-listed recruitment consultants for property and construction Macdonald & Company.

RICS and Macdonald & Company have been conducting similar surveys in Europe since 2000.

Hong Kong property professionals' average salary is US$81,700 a year and their mainland counterparts earn US$77,200, with those in the rest of Asia drawing US$70,700 a year.

Mainland professionals, however, get a far higher bonus (US$19,388 on an average) than their Hong Kong brethren (US$7,371).

The survey interviewed 769 property professionals from more than 10 Asian regions online in August and September this year.

The respondents' median age was 39.6 years and they had an average experience of 12.7 years, with about 60 per cent of them working in quantity surveying, project management and valuation.

Macdonald & Company's director of Asian Operations William Glover said: "Hong Kong property professionals have significantly lower bonus than their mainland counterparts because many respondents in Hong Kong work in quantity surveying. The profession offers less rewards than other sectors... such as financial services and investment.

"The mainland, on the other hand, has more development and investment projects, so its property professionals enjoy higher bonus."

Hong Kong professionals may have the highest salary in the property market today but their mainland brethren could overtake them next year.

The survey shows that the mainland has the highest average salary increase, of 13.8 per cent, that is, twice the rate of Hong Kong's 6.3 per cent.

"With a rapid increase in the number of infrastructure projects on the mainland, we expect the average salary there to overtake that of Hong Kong and the rest of Asia in 2007", Glover said.

Because of its better career prospects, the mainland was attracting an increasing number of young talents from Hong Kong.

These youths have the chance of getting more hands-on experience and responsibility across the border because of the abundant construction projects there.

But despite all this, Glover doesn't see a competition between Hong Kong and the mainland for talents. Instead, he said, an exchange of talents will benefit both sides.

"More Hong Kong young talents working on the mainland will improve the economy of both the sides and bring them even closer, which is actually good for the whole region."