A recent survey of salaries for white-collar workers in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen shows a remarkable range in pay. The most competitive salaries – an average 58,539 yuan or US$7,079 -- were found at Chinese companies with foreign investment. Of those, smaller companies (100-300 people) were able to offer the best average annual salary: 41,607 yuan or US$7,079. Companies with foreign investment with a work force of over 1,000 people offered less: an average 36,056 yuan or US$4,360.
On an individual level, the biggest salaries went to holders of masters’ degrees in business administration who had been working for some 10 years in the fields of information technology, bank, insurance, securities, investment and other special service sectors (including lawyers and accountants). The average yearly pay of these MBAs was 70,654 yuan (US$8,543) -- more than that earned even by holders of doctorate degrees.
Men earned a bit more than women on an average 1.2 : 1 ratio, the survey showed.
The industry offering the best pay: anything related to computers. The computer-related industries offered an average yearly pay of 44,102 yuan (US$5,333). In comparison, a registered lawyer or accountant earned an average 42,995 yuan (US$5,199) a year and those in the medical sector got 42,978 yuan (US$5,197). Chemical, medicine, biotechnology, advertising and information sectors followed. Secretaries and administrative assistants received the lowest pay, on average less than 26,017 yuan (US$3,146) a year. Others receiving less than 30,000 yuan a year included translators and office managers.
The highest paying industry varied among the four cities. In Beijing, the compute-related sector ranked first, providing its white-collar staff an average yearly pay of 50,095 yuan (US$6,057). In Shanghai and Guangzhou, registered lawyers and accountants enjoyed the highest pay, 54,242 yuan (US$6,559) on average. In Shenzhen, education, cultural, scientific research and medical sectors paid their professional staff the most: 70,200 yuan (US$8,478).
(CIIC 07/06/2001)
