yeah, and maybe the PAP is wrong too?

Human beings. We need food & shelter. After that, it really are just wants. Some want fancier houses. Some want cars. Some want exquisite wines, watches, holidays etc.. Our wants are unlimited. Our wants always exceed our needs. Why? Consumerism. Greed.

So bankers manufacture another product as demanded by society- CDOs. Speculators hoping to make a quick buck out of a spiralling property market. Mortgage houses giving them cheap loans. Investment banks helping to collaterise the loans. Ultimately the greedy investors themselves who demand such "high-yield" products. What's the cause? It is not the banks. It is Greed.

Bankers are just manufacturing products that society demands. The better you are at it, the better you get paid.

I would say that $5k is overpaid considering returning scholars start at $3.5k... but more importantly, graduates from Chinghua & 北大, (arguably as competitive as Oxbridge) draw an average of RMB 6,000 upon graduation.

Also these Chinese & their IIT counterparts from India seem sufficiently happy to come and work 18hr days at the employment pass floor of $3000; in banks, IT etc.

It is not a god given that a person deserve 60K or 80k pa just because he is from oxford.

To command any salary, you need to be able bring in value to the employer that exceed the salary you are commanding

For a fresh grad who have no experience and no proven track record and probably still learning the rope for the 1st 2 years. Do you think he can bring in more than 80K pa of value

As yourself honestly, if you are employer paying salary using your own money, will you pay 80K to a fresh grad (even an oxford one) with no experience

On this basis I say 80k is overpaid.

That's the theory, Alec. It actually depends on whether she is pretty enough and whether she's able to convince the interviewer or hiring manager that she's worth the 80k or 100k. And there are managers who think with other body parts apart from the brain.

The premium pay for these graduans are often considered locking fees. Granted there is no guarantee they will perform but there is an expectation that these people will be the captains of the industry and as a result paying a premium early on could yield significant dividends later on when developing, especially for blue chip companies.

admissions assistant - only goddamn 30k pa

recalculating, 27k pa.

that's bad. you should job hop more often, especially when the economy is still doing well (and with tightening of foreign labour).

I don't know about GIC, but from what I know LSE and Oxford graduates that joined MAS and MTI aren't getting any more than the local gradautes. Around 3.8k I heard.