Zhilian Zhaopin, one of China’s biggest job portals, regularly releases their data on average monthly salaries in China. It’s important to note that the data reflects recruited salaries, or the publicly listed salary information companies advertise on the Zhaopin platform. Let’s dive in to some of their salary sets from 2023 & 2024!
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Average Salary in China, Country-wide
2023
In the second quarter of 2023, the average recruitment salary of enterprises in 38 Chinese cities was ¥10,266 RMB ($1,430 USD) per month. This average is up 1.6% since Q1 2023, but still down around 0.7% compared to the same time period last year Q2 2022.
Breaking it down a bit further:
- The 25th percentile of recruitment salaries is ¥6,001 RMB ($836 USD)/month,
- The median is ¥8,001 RMB ($1,115 USD)/month,
- The 75th percentile is ¥12,001 RMB ($1,672 USD)/month.
2024
Moving in to Q2 2024, the average recruitment salary in 38 Chinese cities was ¥10,313 RMB ($1,439 USD) per month. This average is up 0.5% since Q2 2023.
Breaking the graph down a bit further:
- The figures along the grey line (grey boxes) represent the quarterly growth rate.
- The figures along the yellow line (light pink boxes) represent the annual growth rate.
Average Salary in China by City
Salary in Shanghai continues to top the list
2023
Zhaopin monitored 38 core cities across China. Shanghai has held the top spot on this list for quite some time, and comes in at the #1 spot again with an average monthly salary of ¥13,486 RMB ($1,879 USD)/month.
Beijing followed with an average monthly salary of ¥13,438 RMB ($1,872 USD)/month.
Shenzhen ranked third with an average monthly salary of ¥12,774 RMB ($1,780 USD)/month.
Hangzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou, Guangzhou, and Ningbo round out the top 8.
We also have median salary data here and can see the median salary of the top 3 cities – Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen – exceeded ¥10,000 RMB ($1,393 USD)/month.
It’s also interesting to note that there is a 59% difference in the median salary between the first (Shanghai) and last (Harbin) cities on this list.
2024
Top-Tier City Salaries
Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen emerged as the top three cities for recruitment salaries. These metropolises boasted average monthly salaries of approximately 13,000 yuan, with median salaries exceeding 10,000 yuan.
Hangzhou secured the fourth position, offering an average monthly salary of 11,909 yuan and a median of 9,904 yuan.
High-Tier City Salaries
The next group of cities, including Nanjing, Guangzhou, Suzhou, Ningbo, Zhuhai, and Xiamen, all demonstrated competitive salary ranges.
These locations reported average monthly salaries between 10,000 and 11,000 yuan, with median salaries ranging from 8,500 to 9,000 yuan.
Regional Salary Patterns
Higher salary levels further concentrate in these economically significant regions:
- Yangtze River Delta: Cities like Wuxi and Hefei maintained relatively high compensation levels.
- Pearl River Delta: Dongguan and Foshan showed strong salary performances.
- Central and Western Regions: Wuhan, Changsha, and Chengdu exhibited comparatively robust salary structures.
Fastest Growing Wages in china By City
The rapid development of smart manufacturing in Wuxi, Suzhou, and Ningbo drives up wages
2023
Here we have the year-on-year salary growth rankings of the 38 Chinese cities. Wuxi ranked first, with salary increasing by 6.1% year-on-year. Lanzhou and Xiamen rounded out the top 3.
Suzhou and Ningbo had year-on-year growth rates of 2.1% and 1.6%, respectively, ranking fourth and ninth.
The salary of the Intelligent Manufacturing industry led to the rise in some key cities of the Yangtze River Delta.
The monthly salary of enterprises in the electronic technology/semiconductor/integrated circuit industries in Wuxi, Suzhou, and Ningbo increased by 8.6%, 5.8% and 10.7% respectively compared with the same period last year. The instrumentation and industrial automation industries increased by 7.1%, 6.9%, and 15.3% respectively. This points to strong development in the regional Intelligent Manufacturing industry.
In addition, cities such as Lanzhou, Xiamen, Kunming, Changchun, and Shijiazhuang also experienced relatively obvious growth rates in this quarter, mainly driven by the recovery of the consumer industry. The average recruitment salary in the fast-moving consumer goods industry increased by 18.3%, 5.8%, 17.7%, 8.8%, and 14.2% respectively compared with the same period last year.
2024
Moving into Q2 2024 year-on-year salary growth rankings of the 38 Chinese cities.
China’s Central Region Leading Salary Growth
The central region of China has emerged as the frontrunner in year-on-year salary growth:
- Taiyuan: Topped the list with a remarkable 4.7% increase in average recruitment salary compared to the previous year.
- Hefei: Secured the fourth position with a substantial 3% growth rate.
- Wuhan: Also showed positive momentum with a 1.6% year-on-year increase.
This trend reflects a strategic shift in central cities, where gradually increasing salaries are being used as a lever to accelerate talent attraction.
Pearl River Delta’s Robust Performance
Cities in the Pearl River Delta also demonstrated strong year-on-year salary increases:
- Foshan: Led the region with a 4% increase in recruitment salary.
- Guangzhou: Showed solid growth with a 2.2% increase.
- Dongguan: Followed closely with a 1.7% rise.
Megacities Being Megacities
It’s worth mentioning giants like Tianjin (#2 with 3.1% growth), Guangzhou (#6 with 2.2%), and Shanghai (#8 with 1.8%) land [unsurprising] spots on this list.
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