If you look closely, staff expenses increased from 2008 to 2009 (HKD $12,428 Mil to HKD $12,628 Mil).
This is despite a hiring freeze, SLS, and attrition/retirements.
To explain this increase, they state:
"Increased due to provision for bonus partly offset by savings from no pay leave."
So now who exactly is getting this bonus?
Does the lack of a 2009 profit share policy mean executive profit share (ie. bonus) are not going to happen?