Salaries of degreed village officials in Beijing to double

The salary level of village officials holding degrees in Beijing will double in 2013 according to a new recruitment plan aiming to attract more new graduates and encourage current employees.　

The Beijing Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau announced Monday that salaries of recent graduates hired as village officials in 2013 would keep pace with those of newly hired government employees, whose jobs are more secure.

The former average monthly wage was 2,000 yuan ($321) for new graduates with a bachelor's degree, which would increase by 500 yuan every year. Under the new regulation, which also applies to degreed village officials who have held their position for more than a year, salaries will rise to 3,800 yuan.

Large-scale recruitment of degreed village officials began with a 2008 campaign aimed at bringing young, well-educated talents to rural areas, and candidates go through a rigorous selection process. However, many of them are not satisfied with the salary. "It barely covers the expenses of daily life, let alone supports our family," said one official in Pingdingshan, Henan Province.

Degreed village officials are hired under a three-year contract without the administrative registration given to government employees, and they are not guaranteed a job in the government after their contract is completed.

A village official surnamed Liu in Guizhou Province, who completed his contract in 2011 and is currently working in the local government, told the Global Times that the position brings its fair share of embarrassment, as higher administrative authorities often ignored his needs and local villagers considered him a clerk who would be leaving in a few years. "I was really lucky to get a job in the government. Many of my peers had to find their own way," he said.