China White-collar Average Salary Dips in the First Quarter of 2018
Apr 02, 2018, 12:00 ET
BEIJING, April 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Zhaopin Limited ("Zhaopin" or the "Company"), a leading career platform in China focused on connecting users with relevant job opportunities through their career lifecycle, released its 2018 first-quarter report on China labor market supply and demand for white-collar workers. Competition among white-collar workers for jobs intensified in the spring, leading their average monthly salary to decline for the first time since the second quarter of 2017, falling to RMB7,629, a 2.1% drop from the previous quarter.
First-quarter of 2018 China white-collar labor market highlights:
- The average monthly salary for white-collar workers fell to RMB7,629 in the first quarter of 2018, down 2.1% over the fourth quarter of 2017.
- Beijing continued to be the city with the highest pay in the first quarter of 2018, with an average monthly salary of RMB10,197, slightly below RMB10,310 in the fourth quarter 2017.
- Competition for jobs among white-collar workers intensified in the first quarter of 2018, with an average of 42.8 applications per job vacancy, compared with 31 applications in the fourth quarter of 2017.
- Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering continued to be the most competitive sector for job seekers in the first quarter of 2018, with 68.2 applications per vacancy.
- The most competitive occupation in the first quarter of 2018 was software/internet development/system integration with 104.8 applications per vacancy.
Average salary edging down
Based on online job postings in 37 key cities in China compiled by Zhaopin, the average monthly salary for white-collar workers fell to RMB7,629 in the first quarter of 2018, down 2.1% from the fourth quarter of 2017, and the first decline since the second quarter of 2017. The average salary was forced down by the abundant supply in the labor market, as many white-collar workers were actively seeking new jobs after taking their year-end bonuses.
| Average monthly salary for white-collar workers |
||
| Quarter |
Average salary (RMB) |
Change over previous quarter |
| Q1 2017 |
7,665 |
0.8% |
| Q2 2017 |
7,376 |
- 3.8% |
| Q3 2017 |
7,599 |
3.0% |
| Q4 2017 |
7,789 |
2.5% |
| Q1 2018 |
7,629 |
-2.1% |
Among job postings in the first quarter of 2018, 32.7% of positions offered monthly salaries between RMB4,000 and 6,000, and 28.2% offered monthly salaries of more than RMB8,000. About 20.9% of positions offered monthly salaries between RMB6,000 and 8,000.
| Breakdown of positions by monthly salaries in the first quarter of 2018 |
|
| Salary (RMB) |
Percentage of positions |
| Over 8,000 |
28.2 % |
| 6,000 to 8,000 |
20.9% |
| 4,000 to 6,000 |
32.7% |
| 2,000 to 4,000 |
17.4% |
| Below 2,000 |
0.8% |
Beijing continued to be the city with the highest pay in the first quarter of 2018, with an average monthly salary of RMB10,197, slightly down from RMB10,310 in the fourth quarter 2017. Among all major cities in the country, Shenzhen and Hangzhou were the only two cities where the average salary went up in the first quarter of 2018.
| Average monthly salary for cities in the first quarter of 2018 |
|||||
| Ranking |
City |
Average monthly salary (RMB) |
Ranking |
City |
Average monthly salary (RMB) |
| 1 |
Beijing |
10,197 |
20 |
Fuzhou |
7,005 |
| 2 |
Shanghai |
9,621 |
21 |
Changsha |
6,988 |
| 3 |
Shenzhen |
9,134 |
22 |
Wuxi |
6,879 |
| 4 |
Hangzhou |
8,500 |
23 |
Jinan |
6,860 |
| 5 |
Guangzhou |
7,965 |
24 |
Hefei |
6,849 |
| 6 |
Dongguan |
7,723 |
25 |
Nanchang |
6,768 |
| 7 |
Ningbo |
7,680 |
26 |
Zhengzhou |
6,704 |
| 8 |
Nanjing |
7,523 |
27 |
Tianjin |
6,622 |
| 9 |
Foshan |
7,483 |
28 |
Qingdao |
6,591 |
| 10 |
Suzhou |
7,411 |
29 |
Lanzhou |
6,577 |
| 11 |
Xiamen |
7,363 |
30 |
Xi'an |
6,381 |
| 12 |
Urumqi |
7,281 |
31 |
Dalian |
6,288 |
| 13 |
Haikou |
7,205 |
32 |
Shijiazhuang |
6,274 |
| 14 |
Nanning |
7,202 |
33 |
Yantai |
6,239 |
| 15 |
Chongqing |
7,177 |
34 |
Changchun |
6,114 |
| 16 |
Wuhan |
7,082 |
35 |
Taiyuan |
6,045 |
| 17 |
Chengdu |
7,061 |
36 |
Shenyang |
5,901 |
| 18 |
Kunming |
7,053 |
37 |
Harbin |
5,818 |
| 19 |
Guiyang |
7,043 |
|||
Funds/securities/futures/investment continued to be the best-paying sector in the first quarter of 2018 with an average monthly salary of RMB10,421, followed by RMB9,650 for professional services/consulting (finance and accounting, legal and Human Resources, etc.).
| Top 10 highest paid sectors in the first quarter of 2018 |
|
| Sector |
Average monthly salary (RMB) |
| Funds/securities/futures/investment |
10,421 |
| Professional service/consulting (finance and accounting, legal and HR, etc.) |
9,650 |
| Intermediary service |
9,254 |
| Banking |
9,120 |
| Cross-industry operation |
9,050 |
| Trust/warrant/auction/pawn |
8,909 |
| Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering |
8,795 |
| Online games |
8,740 |
| Energy/mineral/mining/smelting |
8,475 |
| Insurance |
8,370 |
The top three occupations with the highest monthly salaries in the first quarter of 2018 were senior management (RMB19,936), IT management/project coordination (RMB14,515) and securities/futures/investment management/service (RMB12,229).
| Top 10 highest paid occupations in the first quarter of 2018 |
|
| Occupation |
Average monthly salary (RMB) |
| Senior management |
19,936 |
| IT management/project coordination |
14,515 |
| Securities/futures/investment management/service |
12,229 |
| Civil servant/public institution/research institute |
11,695 |
| Real estate development/broker/agency |
11,124 |
| Sales management |
11,117 |
| Software/internet development/system integration |
10,188 |
| Banking |
10,176 |
| Trust/warrant/auction/pawn |
9,858 |
| Hardware development |
9,720 |
Public companies offered the highest average monthly salary of RMB8,368 in the first quarter, followed by RMB8,307 for wholly foreign-owned enterprises and RMB8,112 for state-owned enterprises.
| Average monthly salaries from different types of companies in the first quarter of 2018 |
|
| Type of Company |
Average monthly salary (RMB) |
| Public companies |
8,368 |
| Wholly foreign-owned enterprises |
8,307 |
| State-owned enterprises |
8,112 |
| Joint ventures |
8,109 |
| Public institutions |
7,524 |
| Private companies |
7,377 |
Larger companies offered higher salaries in the first quarter of 2018. Small and micro-sized companies were not competitive with relatively lower salaries.
| Average monthly salaries for companies of different sizes in the first quarter of 2018 |
|
| Size of company by employee numbers |
Average monthly salary (RMB) |
| Below 20 |
6,742 |
| 20-99 |
7,152 |
| 100-499 |
7,509 |
| 500-999 |
7,981 |
| 1,000-9,999 |
8,376 |
| Above 10,000 |
8,579 |
Job market competition intensified in the spring
Zhaopin publishes the quarterly competitive index for the labor market in China based on data collected from its online platform. The competitive index is calculated based on the number of resume applications divided by the number of job vacancies. For the first quarter of 2018, the competitive index was 42.8, which means there were an average of 42.8 applications per job vacancy, a sharp jump from 31 in the fourth quarter of 2017.
Spring, especially after the Chinese New Year holiday, is the traditional peak season for job hopping. Many white-collar workers were actively seeking new job opportunities after getting their year-end bonuses, which led to intensified competition in the job market.
| Competitive index |
|
| Quarter |
Competitive index |
| Q1 2017 |
44.6 |
| Q2 2017 |
35.8 |
| Q3 2017 |
30.4 |
| Q4 2017 |
31.0 |
| Q1 2018 |
42.8 |
(Competitive index = number of applications/number of job vacancies)
Beijing was by far the most competitive city for white-collar workers, with a competitive index of 102.9 in the first quarter of 2018, far more competitive than 86.4 in the fourth quarter last year. Chengdu became the second most competitive city after Beijing for job seekers with a competitive index of 55.1 in the first quarter.
| Competitive index for cities in the first quarter of 2018 |
|||||
| Ranking |
City |
Index |
Ranking |
City |
Index |
| 1 |
Beijing |
102.9 |
20 |
Lanzhou |
29.3 |
| 2 |
Chengdu |
55.1 |
21 |
Guiyang |
27.2 |
| 3 |
Shanghai |
54.0 |
22 |
Shijiazhuang |
27.0 |
| 4 |
Shenyang |
53.5 |
23 |
Qingdao |
26.0 |
| 5 |
Shenzhen |
53.5 |
24 |
Jinan |
24.0 |
| 6 |
Xi'an |
47.8 |
25 |
Hefei |
22.7 |
| 7 |
Tianjin |
45.0 |
26 |
Haikou |
22.2 |
| 8 |
Dalian |
39.1 |
27 |
Wuxi |
22.1 |
| 9 |
Chongqing |
38.0 |
28 |
Kunming |
21.0 |
| 10 |
Harbin |
36.7 |
29 |
Urumqi |
19.8 |
| 11 |
Wuhan |
34.4 |
30 |
Yantai |
19.0 |
| 12 |
Changsha |
34.1 |
31 |
Nanchang |
18.5 |
| 13 |
Guangzhou |
32.9 |
32 |
Dongguan |
16.4 |
| 14 |
Changchun |
31.4 |
33 |
Fuzhou |
15.5 |
| 15 |
Taiyuan |
31.0 |
34 |
Xiamen |
15.1 |
| 16 |
Hangzhou |
30.8 |
35 |
Nanning |
14.2 |
| 17 |
Suzhou |
30.7 |
36 |
Foshan |
14.0 |
| 18 |
Nanjing |
29.8 |
37 |
Ningbo |
13.7 |
| 19 |
Zhengzhou |
29.8 |
|||
| Competitive index = number of applications/number of job vacancies |
|||||
In terms of employer size, companies with 1,000 to 9,999 employees were the most competitive for job seekers, with an index of 60.9, followed by 55.6 for companies over 10,000 employees. The competition for positions in small and micro-sized companies remained low due to low brand recognition and high risk.
| Competitive index for different size companies in the first quarter of 2018 |
|
| Size of Company by employee numbers |
Index |
| Below 20 |
27.5 |
| 20-99 |
33.7 |
| 100-499 |
42.1 |
| 500-999 |
48.8 |
| 1,000-9,999 |
60.9 |
| Over 10,000 |
55.6 |
Supply and demand by sector
In the first quarter of 2018, the internet/e-commerce sector continued to top the list with the most job vacancies, followed by real estate/construction/building materials/engineering, and education/training/college sectors.
| Top ten sectors with the highest job demand in the first quarter of 2018 |
|
| Ranking |
Sector |
| 1 |
Internet/e-commerce |
| 2 |
Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering |
| 3 |
Education/training/college |
| 4 |
Computer software |
| 5 |
Funds/securities/futures/investment |
| 6 |
Professional service/consulting (finance and accounting, legal and HR, etc.) |
| 7 |
IT services (system/data/maintenance) |
| 8 |
Trade/export and import |
| 9 |
Medicine/biological engineering |
| 10 |
FMCG (food, drinks, alcohol and tobacco, and chemicals for daily use) |
Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering continued to be the most competitive sector for job seekers in the first quarter of 2018, with 68.2 applications per vacancy. The competition intensified for all top ten sectors in the first quarter of 2018 over the previous quarter.
| Top ten most competitive sectors in the first quarter of 2018 |
|||
| Ranking |
Sector |
Index |
Ranking in previous quarter |
| 1 |
Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering |
68.2 |
1 |
| 2 |
Cross-industry operation |
61.1 |
2 |
| 3 |
Online games |
60.0 |
4 |
| 4 |
Internet/e-commerce |
58.5 |
6 |
| 5 |
Aviation/aerospace research and manufacturing |
53.9 |
9 |
| 6 |
Computer software |
53.7 |
5 |
| 7 |
Telecom/carrier operators/value-added service |
51.6 |
7 |
| 8 |
IT services (system/data/maintenance) |
50.5 |
3 |
| 9 |
Funds/securities/futures/investment |
49.9 |
11 |
| 10 |
Energy/mineral/mining/smelting |
48.1 |
8 |
Insurance continued to be the least competitive sector in the first quarter of 2018, with 18.7 applications per vacancy, followed by 24.9 for intermediary service and 26.3 for printing/packaging/papermaking.
| Least competitive sectors in the first quarter of 2018 |
|
| Sector |
Index |
| Insurance |
18.7 |
| Intermediary service |
24.9 |
| Printing/packaging/papermaking |
26.3 |
| Outsourcing service |
26.5 |
| Inspection/testing/authentication |
26.5 |
| Office supplies and equipment |
27.6 |
| Home furnishing/interior design/decoration |
29.0 |
| Farming/forestry/animal husbandry/fishery |
29.7 |
| Processing and manufacturing (raw material processing/mould) |
30.0 |
| Entertainment/sports/leisure |
31.7 |
The sectors with the most job applications in the first quarter of 2018 included internet/e-commerce, real estate/construction/building materials/engineering, and computer software.
| Top ten sectors with the most job applications in the first quarter of 2018 |
|
| Ranking |
Sector |
| 1 |
Internet/e-commerce |
| 2 |
Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering |
| 3 |
Computer software |
| 4 |
Funds/securities/futures/investment |
| 5 |
IT services (system/data/maintenance) |
| 6 |
Education/training/college |
| 7 |
Professional service/consulting (finance and accounting, legal and HR, etc.) |
| 8 |
FMCG (food, drinks, alcohol and tobacco, and chemicals for daily use) |
| 9 |
Medicine/biological engineering |
| 10 |
Electronics/semiconductor/integrated circuit |
Supply and demand by occupation
The top occupations with the most vacancies for white collar workers in the first quarter of 2018 were almost the same as in the fourth quarter of 2017, including sales, administration/logistics/secretary, and software/internet development/system integration.
| Top ten occupations with the highest job demand in the first quarter of 2018 |
|
| Ranking |
Occupation |
| 1 |
Sales |
| 2 |
Administration/logistics/secretary |
| 3 |
Software/internet development/system integration |
| 4 |
Sales management |
| 5 |
Education/training |
| 6 |
Finance/auditing/tax |
| 7 |
Human resources |
| 8 |
Civil engineering/construction/decoration/municipal engineering |
| 9 |
Customer service/pre-sales and after-sales support |
| 10 |
Marketing |
The most competitive occupation in the first quarter of 2018 was software/internet development/system integration with 104.8 applications per vacancy, followed by 101.9 for IT quality management/testing/configuration management, and 95.5 for transportation services.
| Top 10 most competitive occupations in the first quarter of 2018 |
|||
| Ranking |
Occupation |
Index |
Ranking in previous quarter |
| 1 |
Software/internet development/system integration |
104.8 |
1 |
| 2 |
IT quality management/testing/configuration management |
101.9 |
2 |
| 3 |
Transportation services |
95.5 |
4 |
| 4 |
Finance/auditing/tax |
81.5 |
3 |
| 5 |
Senior management |
75.9 |
5 |
| 6 |
Civil engineering/construction/decoration/municipal engineering |
71.2 |
8 |
| 7 |
Administration/logistics/secretary |
61.6 |
7 |
| 8 |
Human resources |
58.5 |
6 |
| 9 |
Real estate development/broker/agency |
54.3 |
13 |
| 10 |
Purchasing/trade |
51.0 |
12 |
The least competitive occupations in the first quarter of 2018 were community/residency/housekeeping with 16.8 applications per vacancy, followed by 17.0 for both sales and healthcare/beauty/hairdressing/bodybuilding.
| Least competitive occupations in the first quarter of 2018 |
|
| Occupation |
Index |
| Community/residency/housekeeping |
16.8 |
| Sales |
17.0 |
| Healthcare/beauty/hairdressing/bodybuilding |
17.0 |
| Insurance |
17.2 |
| Farming/forestry/animal husbandry/fishery |
17.6 |
| Education/training |
19.2 |
| Cooking/catering/food R&D |
19.6 |
| Intern/trainee/management trainee |
20.4 |
| Mechanic/operator |
20.5 |
| Hospital/medical care/nursing |
21.7 |
The top ten occupations with the most job applications in the first quarter of 2018 were almost the same as in the fourth quarter of 2017.
| Top ten occupations with the most job applications in the first quarter of 2018 |
|
| Ranking |
Occupation |
| 1 |
Software/internet development/system integration |
| 2 |
Finance/auditing/tax |
| 3 |
Administration/logistics/secretary |
| 4 |
Civil engineering/construction/decoration/municipal engineering |
| 5 |
Human resources |
| 6 |
Sales |
| 7 |
Sales management |
| 8 |
Internet product/operation management |
| 9 |
Art/design |
| 10 |
Purchasing/trade |
For more information, please contact:
Zhaopin Limited
Ms. Serena Sun
roujia.sun@zhaopin.com.cn
ICR Beijing
Mr. Edmond Lococo
Phone: +86 10 6583-7510
Edmond.Lococo@icrinc.com
SOURCE Zhaopin Limited
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