The average income for urban workers in the Chinese capital hit
36,097 yuan (about US$4,512) last year, a rise of 3,289 yuan (about
US$411) from a year ago.
According to statistics provided by the municipal bureau of
statistics, the top wage earners were people working in securities
and banking services, legal services, transport services, petroleum
and natural gas exploitation. They earned more than 100,000 yuan
(about US$12,500) on average over the past year.
They were followed by people working in the insurance, corporate
financing and computer services sectors. They earned between 80,000
yuan and 100,000 yuan on average.
Employees in telecommunications, tobacco, software, radio and TV
services earned less than 80,000 yuan last year.
The lowest salary earners were security guards who only made
9,000 yuan on average last year. They were followed by workers in
furniture making, catering, textiles, garments and footwear who
earned less than 19,000 yuan.
The data was collected from workers with state enterprises,
collectives, joint ventures, solely-foreign invested ventures in
Beijing. It did not include employees of home-based businesses.
(Xinhua News Agency March 28, 2007)