Inflation EVERYwhere!

We all know how inflation has been eating up our stagnant humble salaries since our economy bounced back last year. This website Trading Economics has compiled statistics drawn from the Census and Statistics Department (Information is all available in the government website. Take a thorough check first before screaming at the innocent information officers on the phone demanding for information that is already available in the public domain!) and its report showed that Hong Kong recorded an inflation rate of 5.6 per cent in June 2011, one point higher than the average inflation rate of 4.63 per cent between 1981 and 2010.

Hong Kong's inflation rate is calculated based on consumer price index. But apparently inflation exists not only in the consumption market. It also happens in the job market.

One great joke circulating around headhunters and employers these days is job title inflation. Many have told me that they have lately received a bunch of new CVs, but most of them were just fluff after they read through their CVs carefully.

Now here's the trend: internship apparently has been treated as proper working experience. Three years into a job they would call themselves "senior". With five years of working experience under your belt you are already a "director" or "head of whatever". And 10 years? You should retire and give your job to a fresh graduate who has interned with 100 companies.

And even if they have a proper title, check again. Director of Food & Beverages could mean tea lady. Director of Hygiene could mean cleaning lady. Director of Security, well, this one is obvious. And Director of Administration could just be the most senior office assistant, and those working under him will automatically take up title of lead office assistant.

Those who have the most minimum intelligence should have no trouble reading into these lies. But unfortunately dressing up your CV with grand titles really work - a lot of employers do buy this crap.

Perhaps it's time for the government to consider adding one more factor into calculating inflation rate.