A major Hong Kong labour group has called for a salary increase of at least 5.5% next year after a survey found more than 65% of workers cut their daily expenses to cope with the rising cost of living, reports the South China Morning Post. The annual pay trend survey, conducted by the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions, found that nearly half of the respondents needed to work overtime or had extra part-time jobs to earn additional income. But it showed that 63% of workers received an average pay rise of 4.5%.

The study polled 1,123 workers aged above 18 in August, with their salaries ranging between HKD 10,000 (USD 1,286) and HKD 40,000 (USD 5,146). The largest group of respondents earned between HKD 20,001 and HKD 25,000 (USD 2,573 and 3,216), accounting for 27.5% of all interviewees. The poll also found that 66.5% of participants had to reduce their expenses due to this year’s salary adjustments, while 47.8% reported working overtime or taking on additional part-time jobs to increase their income.

It also found that 63.0% of workers had a pay rise in the previous year, but 36.1% experienced a salary freeze. The average adjustment was 4.5%.