Private-sector average wages in China rose 5.3% in 2020

The average wages of private-sector urban workers increased by 4,123 yuan (US$640) to 57,727 yuan (US$8,967) annually in 2020, up 5.3% year-on-year.
By: | May 24, 2021
Topics: China | Compensation and Benefits | Employee Experience | Health and Wellness | News

According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the top-three industries with the highest annual average wages were: information technology (101,281 yuan or US$15,732), finance (82,930 yuan or US$12,881) and scientific research and technological services (72,233 yuan or US$11,220), up 1.75, 1.44 and 1.25 times over the national average, respectively. 

By geography, East China had the highest average wage of 63,601 yuan (US$9,879), followed by West China (50,510 yuan or US$7,845), Central China (48,861 yuan or US$7,589), and Northeast China (43,928 yuan or US$6,823), up 6.9%, 8.0%, 11.2%, and 10.2%, respectively. 

The sectors with the lowest average annual wages were: farming, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery (38,956 yuan or US$6,051); catering service (42,258 yuan or US$6,564); and hydraulic engineering, environment and public facility management (43,287 yuan or US$6,724). 

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Meng Canwen, deputy chief of the Population and Employment Statistics Bureau, said the increase in average wages in the communications, software development and information technology services industries was driven by the high demand for online services such as education and remote medical consultation due to the pandemic. This led to the rapid growth of average wages in the online service industry.