China White-Collar Average Salary Rises Slightly in the Third Quarter of 2018
BEIJING, Oct. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Zhaopin Limited ("Zhaopin" or the "Company"), a leading career platform in China focused on matching talents with job opportunities and skills through their career lifecycle, released its 2018 third-quarter report on China labor market supply and demand for white-collar workers.
Competition among white-collar workers for jobs eased in the autumn of 2018, bringing their average monthly salary up slightly to RMB7,850, a 0.2% rise from the previous quarter.
China white-collar labor market highlights for the third-quarter of 2018:
- The average monthly salary for white-collar workers rose to RMB7,850 in the third quarter of 2018, up 0.2% from the second quarter.
- Beijing continued to be the city with the highest pay in the third quarter of 2018, with an average monthly salary of RMB10,670.
- Competition for jobs among white-collar workers eased in the third quarter of 2018, with an average of 31.9 applications per job vacancy, down from 38.0 in the second quarter, the second consecutive quarterly decline for the index.
- The internet/e-commerce sector continued to top the list with the most job vacancies, while real estate/construction/building materials/engineering remained the most competitive sector for job seekers in the third quarter of 2018, with 51.8 applications per vacancy.
- The competition for positions in mega enterprises with over 10,000 employees and micro-sized companies with less than 20 employees intensified much than in the third quarter of 2017.
Average salary moving up
Based on online job postings in 37 key cities in China compiled by Zhaopin, the average monthly salary for white-collar workers rose to RMB7,850 in the third quarter of 2018, up 0.2% from the second quarter of 2018 and 3.3% from the third quarter of 2017.
Average monthly salary for white-collar workers | ||
Quarter | Average salary (RMB) | Change over previous quarter |
Q3 2017 | 7,599 | 3.0% |
Q4 2017 | 7,789 | 2.5% |
Q1 2018 | 7,629 | - 2.1% |
Q2 2018 | 7,832 | 2.7% |
Q3 2018 | 7,850 | 0.2% |
Among job postings in the third quarter of 2018, 32.4% of positions offered monthly salaries between RMB4,000 and 6,000, and 29.4% offered monthly salaries of more than RMB8,000. About 21.1% of positions offered monthly salaries between RMB6,000 and 8,000.
Breakdown of positions by monthly salaries in the third quarter of 2018 | |
Salary (RMB) | Percentage of positions |
Over 8,000 | 29.4 % |
6,000 to 8,000 | 21.1% |
4,000 to 6,000 | 32.4% |
2,000 to 4,000 | 16.3% |
Below 2,000 | 0.8% |
Beijing continued to be the city with the highest pay in the third quarter of 2018, with an average monthly salary of RMB10,670. Among the top six major cities in the country with the highest pay, Ningbo was the only city where the average salary declined in the third quarter of 2018.
Average monthly salary for cities in the third quarter of 2018 | |||||
Ranking | City | Average monthly salary (RMB) | Ranking | City | Average monthly salary (RMB) |
1 | Beijing | 10,670 | 20 | Wuxi | 7,106 |
2 | Shanghai | 10,015 | 21 | Kunming | 7,100 |
3 | Shenzhen | 9,561 | 22 | Hefei | 7,081 |
4 | Hangzhou | 8,798 | 23 | Jinan | 7,065 |
5 | Guangzhou | 8,281 | 24 | Nanning | 7,027 |
6 | Ningbo | 7,892 | 25 | Nanchang | 6,974 |
7 | Nanjing | 7,825 | 26 | Tianjin | 6,920 |
8 | Xiamen | 7,770 | 27 | Zhengzhou | 6,903 |
9 | Dongguan | 7,750 | 28 | Qingdao | 6,884 |
10 | Suzhou | 7,723 | 29 | Xi'an | 6,654 |
11 | Foshan | 7,635 | 30 | Dalian | 6,648 |
12 | Chongqing | 7,424 | 31 | Shijiazhuang | 6,608 |
13 | Haikou | 7,373 | 32 | Lanzhou | 6,580 |
14 | Chengdu | 7,367 | 33 | Yantai | 6,477 |
15 | Wuhan | 7,267 | 34 | Changchun | 6,357 |
16 | Guiyang | 7,230 | 35 | Taiyuan | 6,224 |
17 | Changsha | 7,206 | 36 | Harbin | 6,186 |
18 | Fuzhou | 7,199 | 37 | Shenyang | 6,138 |
19 | Urumqi | 7,132 | |||
Funds/securities/futures/investment remained the best-paying sector in the third quarter of 2018 with an average monthly salary of RMB10,563, followed by RMB9,948 for professional services/consulting (finance and accounting, legal and Human Resources, etc.).
Top 10 highest paid sectors in the third quarter of 2018 | |
Sector | Average monthly salary (RMB) |
Funds/securities/futures/investment | 10,563 |
Professional service/consulting (finance and accounting, legal and HR, etc.) | 9,948 |
Intermediary service | 9,477 |
Online games | 9,337 |
Cross-industry operation | 9,213 |
Banking | 9,014 |
Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering | 8,965 |
Energy/mineral/mining/smelting | 8,919 |
Trust/warrant/auction/pawn | 8,843 |
Internet/E-commerce | 8,555 |
The top three occupations with the highest monthly salaries in the third quarter of 2018 continued to be senior management (RMB20,281), IT management/project coordination (RMB15,537) and securities/futures/investment management/service (RMB12,511).
Top 10 highest paid occupations in the third quarter of 2018 | |
Occupation | Average monthly salary (RMB) |
Senior management | 20,281 |
IT management/project coordination | 15,537 |
Securities/futures/investment management/service | 12,511 |
Real estate development/broker/agency | 10,871 |
Civil servant/public institution/research institute | 10,813 |
Sales management | 10,553 |
Software/internet development/system integration | 10,439 |
Hardware development | 10,154 |
Banking | 10,145 |
Trust/warrant/auction/pawn | 9,998 |
Wholly foreign-owned enterprises offered the highest average monthly salary of RMB8,625 in the third quarter, followed by RMB8,478 for joint ventures and RMB8,466 for state-owned enterprises.
Average monthly salaries from different types of companies in the third quarter of 2018 | |
Type of Company | Average monthly salary (RMB) |
Wholly foreign-owned enterprises | 8,625 |
Joint ventures | 8,478 |
State-owned enterprises | 8,466 |
Public companies | 8,392 |
Private companies | 7,682 |
Public institutions | 7,244 |
Larger companies continued to offer higher salaries than companies of smaller size in the third quarter of 2018, while small and micro-sized company also offered higher salaries than the previous quarter.
Average monthly salaries for companies of different sizes in the third quarter of 2018 | |
Size of company by employee numbers | Average monthly salary (RMB) |
Below 20 | 7,449 |
20-99 | 7,425 |
100-499 | 7,708 |
500-999 | 8,253 |
1,000-9,999 | 8,628 |
Above 10,000 | 8,962 |
Job market competition eased in the autumn
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 third quarter of 2018, the competitive index was 31.9, which means there were an average of 31.9 applications per job vacancy, down from 38.0 in the second quarter of 2018. The index posted its second consecutive quarterly decline, but remained higher than 30.4 in the third quarter of 2017.
Competitive index | |
Quarter | Competitive index |
Q3 2017 | 30.4 |
Q4 2017 | 31.0 |
Q1 2018 | 42.8 |
Q2 2018 | 38.0 |
Q3 2018 | 31.9 |
(Competitive index = number of applications/number of job vacancies)
Beijing remained the most competitive city for white-collar workers, with a competitive index of 75.0 in the third quarter of 2018, less competitive than in the third quarter last year. Among 37 cities measured for the competitive index, most witnessed sharp drops this autumn, but Guiyang, Zhengzhou, and Kunming experienced slight increases.
Competitive index for cities in the third quarter of 2018 | |||||
Ranking | City | Index | Ranking | City | Index |
1 | Beijing | 75.0 | 20 | Qingdao | 22.0 |
2 | Chengdu | 40.8 | 21 | Nanjing | 21.7 |
3 | Shenyang | 39.1 | 22 | Shijiazhuang | 21.3 |
4 | Shenzhen | 38.6 | 23 | Wuhan | 20.6 |
5 | Shanghai | 37.4 | 24 | Jinan | 18.9 |
6 | Tianjin | 37.1 | 25 | Urumqi | 17.9 |
7 | Harbin | 32.6 | 26 | Suzhou | 17.6 |
8 | Changchun | 29.3 | 27 | Kunming | 17.0 |
9 | Xi'an | 27.7 | 28 | Hefei | 15.5 |
10 | Guiyang | 27.0 | 29 | Yantai | 14.6 |
11 | Dalian | 26.8 | 30 | Nanchang | 13.5 |
12 | Guangzhou | 25.1 | 31 | Wuxi | 12.7 |
13 | Zhengzhou | 24.6 | 32 | Dongguan | 11.1 |
14 | Chongqing | 24.6 | 33 | Nanning | 10.8 |
15 | Lanzhou | 23.5 | 34 | Foshan | 10.5 |
16 | Changsha | 23.4 | 35 | Fuzhou | 10.5 |
17 | Haikou | 23.3 | 36 | Xiamen | 9.9 |
18 | Taiyuan | 22.7 | 37 | Ningbo | 7.8 |
19 | Hangzhou | 22.3 | |||
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 41.7, followed by 38.6 for companies with over 10,000 employees. The competition for positions in mega enterprises and micro-sized companies intensified much than in the third quarter of 2017.
Competitive index for different size companies in the third quarter of 2018 | |
Size of Company by | Index |
Below 20 | 22.3 |
20-99 | 25.2 |
100-499 | 32.3 |
500-999 | 34.2 |
1,000-9,999 | 41.7 |
Over 10,000 | 38.6 |
Supply and demand by sector
In the third 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. Overall, job demand for the top ten sectors decreased compared to the previous quarter and the third quarter of 2017.
Top ten sectors with the highest job demand in the third quarter of 2018 | |
Ranking | Sector |
1 | Internet/e-commerce |
2 | Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering |
3 | Education/training/college |
4 | Computer software |
5 | Professional service/consulting (finance and accounting, legal and HR, etc.) |
6 | Funds/securities/futures/investment |
7 | IT services (system/data/maintenance) |
8 | Medicine/biological engineering |
9 | Electronics/semiconductor/integrated circuit |
10 | Trade/export and import |
Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering remained the most competitive sector for job seekers in the third quarter of 2018, with 51.9 applications per vacancy. The competition intensified for FMCG (food, drinks, alcohol and tobacco, and chemicals for daily use) and media/publishing/movie and TV/culture communications sectors, making them two of the top ten most competitive sectors in the third quarter.
Top ten most competitive sectors in the third quarter of 2018 | |||
Ranking | Sector | Index | Ranking in previous quarter |
1 | Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering | 51.9 | 1 |
2 | Internet/e-commerce | 44.8 | 2 |
3 | Online games | 42.9 | 3 |
4 | Cross-industry operation | 40.7 | 4 |
5 | Computer software | 39.7 | 7 |
6 | Funds/securities/futures/investment | 38.3 | 5 |
7 | Energy/mineral/mining/smelting | 36.9 | 9 |
8 | IT services (system/data/maintenance) | 36.6 | 6 |
9 | FMCG (food, drinks, alcohol and tobacco, and chemicals for daily use) | 36.5 | 11 |
10 | Media/publishing/movie and TV/culture communications | 35.6 | 12 |
Insurance continued to be the least competitive sector in the third quarter of 2018, with 13.4 applications per vacancy, followed by 14.1 for office supplies and equipment, and 15.9 for outsourcing services.
Least competitive sectors in the third quarter of 2018 | |
Sector | Index |
Insurance | 13.4 |
Office supplies and equipment | 14.1 |
Outsourcing service | 15.9 |
Intermediary service | 16.4 |
Inspection/testing/authentication | 17.7 |
Farming/forestry/animal husbandry/fishery | 19.2 |
Home furnishing/interior design/decoration | 19.7 |
Printing/packaging/papermaking | 20.2 |
Processing and manufacturing (raw material processing/ mold) | 20.9 |
Rental Service | 21.9 |
The sectors with the most job applications in the third 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 third quarter of 2018 | |
Ranking | Sector |
1 | Internet/e-commerce |
2 | Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering |
3 | Computer software |
4 | Education/training/college |
5 | IT services (system/data/maintenance) |
6 | Funds/securities/futures/investment |
7 | FMCG (food, drinks, alcohol and tobacco, and chemicals for daily use) |
8 | Professional service/consulting (finance and accounting, legal and HR, etc.) |
9 | Medicine/biological engineering |
10 | Media/publishing/movie and TV/culture communications |
Supply and demand by occupation
The top occupations with the most vacancies for white collar workers in the third quarter of 2018 were almost the same as in the second quarter, including sales, software/internet development/system integration, and education/training.
Top ten occupations with the highest job demand in the third quarter of 2018 | |
Ranking | Occupation |
1 | Sales |
2 | Software/internet development/system integration |
3 | Education/training |
4 | Sales management |
5 | Civil engineering/construction/decoration/municipal engineering |
6 | Administration/logistics/secretary |
7 | Finance/auditing/tax |
8 | Customer service/pre-sales and after-sales support |
9 | Marketing |
10 | Internet product/operation management |
The most competitive occupation in the third quarter of 2018 was transportation services with 100.2 applications per vacancy, followed by 74.5 for IT quality management/testing/configuration management, and 69.9 for senior management. Top three most competitive occupations remained the same as the previous quarter.
Top 10 most competitive occupations in the third quarter of 2018 | |||
Ranking | Occupation | Index | Ranking in previous quarter |
1 | Transportation services | 100.2 | 1 |
2 | IT quality management/testing/configuration management | 74.5 | 2 |
3 | Senior management | 69.9 | 3 |
4 | Administration/logistics/secretary | 56.8 | 6 |
5 | Software/internet development/system integration | 55.1 | 4 |
6 | Finance/auditing/tax | 54.1 | 5 |
7 | Human resources | 53.5 | 7 |
8 | Trust/warrant/auction/pawn | 45.4 | 24 |
9 | Real estate development/broker/agency | 42.8 | 8 |
10 | Civil engineering/construction/decoration/municipal engineering | 40.6 | 9 |
The least competitive occupations in the third quarter of 2018 were farming/forestry/animal husbandry/fishery with 10.8 applications per vacancy, followed by 14.0 for community/residency/housekeeping and 14.1 for mechanic/operator.
Least competitive occupations in the third quarter of 2018 | |
Occupation | Index |
Farming/forestry/animal husbandry/fishery | 10.8 |
Community/residency/housekeeping | 14.0 |
Mechanic/operator | 14.1 |
Insurance | 14.6 |
Chemical | 14.7 |
Healthcare/beauty/hairdressing/bodybuilding | 15.0 |
Sales | 15.3 |
Telecom/communication technology development and application | 15.6 |
Cooking/catering/food R&D | 16.3 |
Energy/mineral/geological exploration | 16.5 |
The top five occupations with the most job applications in the third quarter of 2018 were the same as the previous quarter. The supply of talent is relatively stable.
Top ten occupations with the most job applications in the third quarter of 2018 | |
Ranking | Occupation |
1 | Software/internet development/system integration |
2 | Administration/logistics/secretary |
3 | Finance/auditing/tax |
4 | Human resources |
5 | Civil engineering/construction/decoration/municipal engineering |
6 | Sales management |
7 | Sales |
8 | Internet product/operation management |
9 | Art/design |
10 | Marketing |
For more information, please contact:
Zhaopin Limited
Ms. Serena Sun
[email protected]
ICR Beijing
Mr. Edmond Lococo
Phone: +86 10 6583-7510
[email protected]
SOURCE Zhaopin Limited
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