Report: Salaries for new recruits rise, but slower

As job market recovers, candidates told to be more realistic about remuneration

The average monthly salary for new recruits in 38 major cities including Beijing and Shanghai saw a slight rise in the first quarter of this year as employers remain cautious about labor costs due to the current status of the economy, industry insiders said.

Recruitment platform Zhaopin recently released a report saying that the average salary for new recruits in 38 major cities was 10,101 yuan per month ($1,470) in the first quarter, a slight rise of 0.9 percent year-on-year.

However, the year-on-year growth rate continued its trend dropping from about 10 percent during the first two quarters last year, to about 4 percent in the latter half of last year, then to 0.9 percent in the first quarter this year. The salary is also 4.3 percent lower than in the fourth-quarter of last year, after companies optimized recruiting plans.

Of the 38, which also include cities such as Changsha and Wuhan and cities with stronger economic strength like Hangzhou and Xiamen, employers in Shanghai offer the highest average new monthly salary of 13,433 yuan, followed by Beijing at 13,251 yuan per month and Shenzhen at 12,668 yuan per month.

The report said that vacancies in sectors like new energy and tourism are subject to higher recruitment salaries because of State-level support policies for national emissions peak and carbon neutrality goals, and also because of the relaxation of COVID-19 policies.

Employers on the platform offer an average monthly salary of 11,233 yuan for job seekers applying for positions related to new energy, ranking the industry eighth among the 10 with the highest salaries for new recruits.

Jobs such as tour guides and consultants saw new salaries increase by 8.9 percent year-on-year, averaging 7,678 yuan per month.

Yang Li, a 37-year-old from Shaanxi province who switched from being a bespoke travel planner to a livestreaming anchor in 2022 due to the pandemic, is ready to get back into tourism.

"I loved my previous job and I've been eager to get back into the sector as tourism is booming thanks to the new COVID-19 control policies. I used to earn over 10,000 yuan a month before the pandemic, and I've had three job invitations from travel agencies with good offers."

Yan Xiangjun, president of the Shandong College of Tourism and Hospitality, said that employers now look for job seekers with multiple skills for tourism-related vacancies, especially the ability to produce short videos and do livestreaming.

According to the Zhaopin report, educational background also matters and vacancies requiring a higher education offer higher initial salaries. Jobs requiring a doctoral degree offer an average monthly salary of 30,578 yuan on Zhaopin, and 17,983 yuan for those with a master's degree.

The platform said that there will be increasing competition in the job market as the economy recovers, so job seekers should adjust salary expectations in accordance with their abilities and companies' needs.