And so we’re getting close to the end of another year, and boy has it been another interesting one in China! As it comes out of a long COVID winter, China’s economy shows growth and increased consumption to finish out 2023.
We’re thinking it’s a great time to summarize the information we’ve amassed on salaries in China in 2023!
Table of Contents
- 1) Average Salary in China, Country-wide
- 2) Average Salary in China, by City
- 3) Fastest Growing Wages in China, by City
- 4) Highest Paying Job Sectors in China, Country-wide
- 5) Fastest Growing Wages in China, by Industry
- 6) Highest Paying Jobs in China, Country-wide
- 7) Fastest Growing Salaries in China, by Position
1) Average Salary in China, Country-wide
In Q2 2023, the average salary in 38 Chinese cities was ¥10,266 RMB ($1,430 USD) per month.
In Q2 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.
2) Average Salary in China by City
Shanghai takes the #1 spot in 2023 with an average monthly salary of ¥13,486 RMB ($1,879 USD).
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.
3) Fastest Growing Wages in China by City
Out of 38 Chinese cities, Wuxi ranked first with salary increasing by 6.1% year-on-year.
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.
4) Highest Paying Job Sectors in China, Country-wide
Coming in at #1 is the Securities & Investments Industry, with an average salary reaching ¥13,737 RMB ($1,912 USD)/month in 2023.
Coming in at #1 is the fund/securities/futures/investment industry, with an average salary reaching ¥13,737 RMB ($1,912 USD)/month in Q2 2023.
The average salary level of other financial industries such as banking at ¥11,841 RMB ($1,648 USD)/month and insurance at ¥11,269 RMB ($1,568 USD)/month also ranked high.
As expected, technology-related industries also fared well here. The electronic technology/semiconductor/integrated circuit industry ranked second, with an average recruitment salary of ¥12,175 RMB ($1,694 USD)/month. Also in the top ten are computer software, IT services, and computer hardware.
In the Internet & e-commerce industry, the average recruitment salary was ¥10,705 RMB ($1,490 USD)/month. This is a year-on-year decrease of 4% and drops the sector’s ranking out of the top 10, to 16th.
Another insight to pull out of this is from two of the top industries: energy/minerals/mining and aviation/aerospace. The average salary of these industries ranks high, but the median salary ranks relatively low – showing that a small number of high-paying jobs drive the overall average salary of the industries.
5) Fastest Growing Wages in China by Industry
The average salary in the Semiconductor Industry led the rise in 2023, with a year-on-year increase of 5.9%.
The average salary in the electronic technology/semiconductor/integrated circuit industry has continued to rise, with a year-on-year increase of 5.9%.
Against the backdrop of an aging population, China’s residents’ demand for medical and medical services is increasing. This demand has led the way for supportive national policies and increased investment in research and development.
Recruitment salaries in industries such as industrial automation, high-tech manufacturing, and new energy continued to rise, with a year-on-year growth rate of more than 3% in the second quarter.
6) Highest Paying Jobs in China, Country-wide
Chip Engineers top the list, earning an average monthly salary of ¥26,000 RMB ($3,617 USD)/month.
Chip Engineers continue to be the highest-paying occupation, earning an average of ¥26,000 RMB ($3,617 USD)/month.
Next up are Senior Managers and Artificial Intelligence Engineers – earning an average of ¥22,739 RMB ($3,164 USD)/month and ¥21,701 RMB ($3,019 USD)/month respectively.
Rounding out the top 10 are:
4) Investment/Finance Managers – ¥16,899 RMB ($2,351 USD)/month
5) Software Developers – ¥16,891 RMB ($2,351 USD)/month
6) Communications & Hardware R&D Professionals – ¥16,507 RMB ($2,230 USD)/month
7) Mobile R&D Professionals – ¥15,646 RMB ($2,177 USD)/month
8) Automotive Electronics Engineers – ¥15,437 RMB ($2,147 USD)/month
9) Securities Brokers – ¥14,498 RMB ($2,017 USD)/month
10) Data Engineers – ¥14,318 RMB ($1,992 USD)/month
Other takeaways:
- Many technical positions such as software R&D, hardware R&D, mobile R&D, and data engineers have seen their salaries drop compared with last year, but they are still high-paying occupations.
- Since the pandemic restrictions have been lifted, the public’s reliance on online consumption and entertainment has decreased. Thus, the demand and salary of related positions have notably declined.
7) Fastest Growing Salaries in China by Position
The wages of Service Consumption positions such as tourism, catering, fitness, and beauty rose significantly compared with the same period last year.
The above graph displays the year-on-year growth rate of salaries by job type. The biggest trend here is the retail service sector demand growing as pandemic policies and environment have simmered over the past year.
From the top, the fastest-growing salaries in China by occupation type:
- Travel Services
- Sports & Fitness
- Business Consulting
- Banking & Financial Services
- Food & Catering Services
- Health & Beauty
- Doctor & Pharmacist
- Housekeeping & Maintenance
- Retail
- Clerk/Assistant
The overall recruitment salary of Travel Service positions increased by 8.6% compared with the same period last year. Smaller divisions of Travel Services such as travel planning, tour guides, and visa specialists have increased by more than 10% year-on-year.
Other high-growth salaries in the consumer service sector include food service jobs (the recruitment salaries of chefs, bartenders, bakers, and other food service positions have increased significantly), sports & fitness jobs, health & beauty jobs, and retail associate jobs.
References
The two main sources of data for the breakdowns above are local HR companies Zhilian Zhaopin and Liepin. They are both among China’s biggest job portals and have some of the largest amounts of local, first-hand, public 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.
Original article content and further sources can be found in the Salary Guides section of our Resources area.
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