So how much are China’s Graduate Degree holders earning these days? This article will take a look at what Doctorate, Post-Doctorate, and Master’s degree holders are earning in China, and also compare to non-graduate degree holders for good measure. We did a more focused look at undergraduate salaries in China if you’re interested!
We’re going to break down 2023 data sets from two of China’s largest HR companies: Liepin & 51job. They are both among China’s biggest job portals and have some of the largest amounts of local, first-hand, high-quality data points. It’s important to note that the data reflects recruited salaries, or the publicly listed salary information that companies advertise on their platforms.
Let’s dive into some data!
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Average Salary for Graduate Degree Holders in China
The average salary in China for new Master's degree graduates in 2023 was ¥13,087 RMB ($1,832 USD) per month.
The average salary in China for new Doctorate degree graduates in 2023 was ¥31,875 RMB ($4,461 USD) per month.
Left chart: Growth in Average Salary across all education levels in China.
Grey bars: The average monthly salary by Education level in China, countrywide.
Orange bars: The average monthly salary by Education level in Beijing.
Key Points
The average monthly salary for new doctorate degree holders is more than 2x that of Master Degree holders, and more than 3x that of undergraduate degree holders.
Adding a master’s degree as an undergraduate degree holder in China, on average, boosts your salary by nearly 80%.
Education is highly valued in China and having a validated, focused, high level of it is rewarded highly in the job market.
Job Demand by Education Level in China
The demand for Doctorate degree holders in China rose 202.1% from 2021-2023.
The demand for Master's degree holders in China rose 142.6% from 2021-2023.
- The percentage of job listings requiring a doctorate degree rose from 0.4% to 1.4% (a 202% jump!).
- The percentage of job listings requiring a master’s degree rose from 2.2% to 6.3% (a 142.6% uptick).
- The percentage of job listings requiring a bachelor’s degree rose drastically, from 28.8% – 42.9%.
- This jump in undergraduate requirements coincided with a decrease in jobs posted with technical school requirements (32.2%-24.3%)
Most In-Demand Industries for Graduate Degree Holders in China
The Medical, IT, and Telecommunications industries have biggest demand for both Doctorate and Master's degree holders.
According to this set of data, the industries with the most demand for Doctorate degree holders are Medical, IT, Telecommunications, Scientific Research, and Machine Learning.
The industries with the most demand for Master’s degree holders are Medical, IT, Telecommunications, Finance, and Machine Learning. Communications/Semiconductor. We’re just swapping out the Scientific Research for Finance here (MBAs were included).
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