BEIJING – January 11, 2019 – 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 fourth-quarter report on China labor market supply and demand for white-collar workers.

Competition among white-collar workers for jobs remained stable in the fourth quarter of 2018, while their average monthly salary continued to rise to RMB8,096, up 3.1% from the previous quarter.

China white-collar labor market highlights for the fourth-quarter of 2018:

  • The average monthly salary for white-collar workers rose to RMB8,096 in the fourth quarter of 2018, up 3.1% from the third quarter and 3.9% from the fourth quarter of 2017.
  • Competition for jobs among white-collar workers remained stable in the fourth quarter of 2018, with an average of 32.0 applications per job vacancy.
  • Senior management continued to receive the highest monthly salaries of RMB20,735, up slightly from the third quarter.
  • The internet/e-commerce sector topped the list with the most job vacancies and the most job applications in the fourth quarter of 2018.
  • Large companies with 1,000 to 9,999 employees were the most competitive for job seekers, while the competition for positions in mid- and small-sized companies continued to intensify from the previous quarter.


Average salar
y continued to rise

Based on online job postings in 37 key cities in China compiled by Zhaopin, the average monthly salary for white-collar workers continued to increase to RMB8,096 in the fourth quarter of 2018, up 3.1% from the third quarter of 2018 and 3.9% from the fourth quarter of 2017.

Average monthly salary for white-collar workers

Quarter

Average salary (RMB)

Change over previous quarter

Q4 2017

7,789

2.5%

Q1 2018

7,629

– 2.1%

Q2 2018

7,832

2.7%

Q3 2018

7,850

0.2%

Q4 2018

8,096

3.1%

Among job postings in the fourth quarter of 2018, 32.2% offered monthly salaries of more than RMB8,000, and 31.3% offered monthly salaries between RMB4,000 and 6,000. About 22.6% of positions offered monthly salaries between 6,000 and 8,000.

Breakdown of positions by monthly salaries in the fourth quarter of 2018

Salary (RMB)

Percentage of positions

Over 8,000

32.2%

6,000 to 8,000

22.6%

4,000 to 6,000

31.3%

2,000 to 4,000

13.2%

Below 2,000

0.7%

Beijing continued to top the list of cities with the highest pay in the fourth quarter of 2018, with an average monthly salary of RMB10,871. The top ten cities with the highest pay remained the same in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Average monthly salary for cities in the fourth quarter of 2018

Ranking

City

Average monthly salary (RMB)

Ranking

City

Average monthly salary (RMB)

1

Beijing

10,871

20

Jinan

7,372

2

Shanghai

10,164

21

Nanchang

7,344

3

Shenzhen

9,776

22

Fuzhou

7,300

4

Hangzhou

9,029

23

Hefei

7,285

5

Guangzhou

8,440

24

Haikou

7,275

6

Nanjing

8,048

25

Wuxi

7,223

7

Ningbo

7,984

26

Zhengzhou

7,129

8

Xiamen

7,837

27

Qingdao

7,083

9

Dongguan

7,835

28

Lanzhou

7,061

10

Suzhou

7,739

29

Tianjin

7,038

11

Wuhan

7,710

30

Xi’an

6,898

12

Chengdu

7,692

31

Dalian

6,675

13

Foshan

7,667

32

Shijiazhuang

6,644

14

Chongqing

7,633

33

Taiyuan

6,559

15

Guiyang

7,545

34

Yantai

6,557

16

Changsha

7,502

35

Changchun

6,355

17

Urumqi

7,491

36

Harbin

6,310

18

Nanning

7,426

37

Shenyang

6,215

19

Kunming

7,410

 

 

 

Funds/securities/futures/investment remained the best-paying sector in the fourth quarter of 2018 with an average monthly salary of RMB11,017, followed by RMB10,371 for trust/warrant/auction/pawn, and RMB9,750 for professional service/consulting (finance and accounting, legal and HR, etc.).

Top 10 highest paid sectors in the fourth quarter of 2018

Sector

Average monthly salary (RMB)

Funds/securities/futures/investment

11,017

Trust/warrant/auction/pawn

10,371

Professional service/consulting (finance and accounting, legal and HR, etc.)

9,750

Banking

9,519

Intermediary service

9,412

Cross-industry operation

9,369

Insurance

9,232

Energy/mineral/mining/smelting

9,084

Internet/E-commerce

8,952

Online games

8,922

The top three occupations with the highest monthly salaries in the fourth quarter of 2018 continued to be senior management (RMB20,735), IT management/project coordination (RMB15,675) and securities/futures/investment management/service (RMB12,411).

Top 10 highest paid occupations in the fourth quarter of 2018

Occupation

Average monthly salary (RMB)

Senior management

20,735

IT management/project coordination

15,675

Securities/futures/investment management/service

12,411

Sales management

11,680

Software/internet development/system integration

11,224

Real estate development/broker/agency

11,165

Trust/warrant/auction/pawn

10,976

Hardware development

10,726

Banking

10,298

Civil servant/public institution/research institute

10,206

Wholly foreign-owned enterprises offered the highest average monthly salary of RMB9,019 in the fourth quarter, followed by RMB8,733 for public companies and RMB8,649 for state-owned enterprises.

Average monthly salaries from different types of companies

in the fourth quarter of 2018

Type of Company

Average monthly salary (RMB)

Wholly foreign-owned enterprises

9,019

Public companies

8,733

Joint ventures

8,649

State-owned enterprises

8,584

Private companies

7,954

Public institutions

7,730

Larger companies continued to offer higher salaries than companies of smaller size in the fourth quarter of 2018, while mid-sized companies offered higher salaries than the previous quarter.

Average monthly salaries for companies of different sizes

in the fourth quarter of 2018

Size of company by employee numbers

Average monthly salary (RMB)

Below 20

7,593

20-99

7,634

100-499

8,030

500-999

8,546

1,000-9,999

8,927

Above 10,000

9,116

Job market competition remained stable

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 fourth quarter of 2018, the competitive index was 32.0, which means there were an average of 32.0 applications per job vacancy. The index remained stable at 31.9, the same as in the third quarter of 2018, but the numbers of job openings and job applications in the fourth quarter of 2018 both surged compared to the previous quarter.

Competitive index

Quarter

Competitive index

Q4 2017

31.0

Q1 2018

42.8

Q2 2018

38.0

Q3 2018

31.9

Q4 2018

32.0

(Competitive index = number of applications/number of job vacancies)

Beijing continued to be the most competitive city for white-collar workers, with a competitive index of 89.4 in the fourth quarter of 2018, more competitive than in the previous quarter and the fourth quarter last year. The competition in Shenzhen greatly intensified in the fourth quarter of 2018. Among 37 cities measured for the competitive index, most witnessed drops in competitive index this winter compared to the previous quarter.

Competitive index for cities in the fourth quarter of 2018

Ranking

City

Index

Ranking

City

Index

1

Beijing

89.4

20

Shijiazhuang

20.9

2

Shenzhen

43.7

21

Zhengzhou

20.8

3

Shenyang

40.9

22

Qingdao

20.3

4

Shanghai

40.9

23

Wuhan

20.1

5

Tianjin

35.5

24

Jinan

17.8

6

Chengdu

34.9

25

Suzhou

16.8

7

Harbin

34.5

26

Urumqi

16.5

8

Dalian

30.3

27

Yantai

15.7

9

Changchun

30.3

28

Kunming

15.0

10

Xi’an

26.6

29

Hefei

14.9

11

Guiyang

24.7

30

Wuxi

13.0

12

Haikou

23.7

31

Nanchang

12.6

13

Guangzhou

23.5

32

Dongguan

10.9

14

Changsha

23.3

33

Nanning

10.1

15

Chongqing

21.9

34

Fuzhou

9.7

16

Lanzhou

21.8

35

Foshan

9.6

17

Hangzhou

21.7

36

Xiamen

9.6

18

Taiyuan

21.3

37

Ningbo

7.3

19

Nanjing

21.2

 

 

 

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 41.3, followed by 36.4 for companies with over 10,000 employees. The competition for positions in mid- and small-sized companies intensified much than in the previous quarter and the fourth quarter of 2017.

Competitive index for different size companies

 in the fourth quarter of 2018

Size of Company by employee numbers

Index

Below 20

25.5

20-99

27.2

100-499

33.4

500-999

36

1,000-9,999

41.3

Over 10,000

36.4

Supply and demand by sector

In the fourth quarter of 2018, the internet/e-commerce sector continued to top the list with the highest demand, followed by education/training/college, and real estate/construction/building materials/engineering sectors. Overall, job demand for the top ten sectors increased compared to the previous quarter.

Top ten sectors with the highest job demand in the fourth quarter of 2018

Ranking

Sector

1

Internet/e-commerce

2

Education/training/college

3

Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering

4

Computer software

5

Professional service/consulting (finance and accounting, legal and HR, etc.)

6

Funds/securities/futures/investment

7

Medicine/biological engineering

8

IT services (system/data/maintenance)

9

FMCG (food, drinks, alcohol and tobacco, and chemicals for daily use)

10

Trade/export and import

The sectors with the most job applications in the fourth quarter of 2018 continued to be internet/e-commerce, real estate/construction/building materials/engineering, and computer software. Overall, job applications in the fourth quarter of 2018 outnumbered the previous quarter.

Top ten sectors with the most job applications in the fourth 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

Professional service/consulting (finance and accounting, legal and HR, etc.)

8

FMCG (food, drinks, alcohol and tobacco, and chemicals for daily use)

9

Media/publishing/movie and TV/culture communications

10

Medicine/biological engineering

Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering remained the most competitive sector for job seekers in the fourth quarter of 2018, with 45.8 applications per vacancy. Among the top ten, the competition in real estate/construction/building materials/engineering, Internet/e-commerce, and online gaming sectors eased compared to the previous quarter. The competition intensified for telecom/communication technology development and application and aerospace research and manufacturing, making them two of the top ten most competitive sectors in the fourth quarter.

Top ten most competitive sectors in the fourth quarter of 2018

Ranking

Sector

Index

Ranking in previous quarter

1

Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering

45.8

1

2

Cross-industry operation

45.0

4

3

Computer software

43.7

5

4

Internet/e-commerce

43.5

2

5

Funds/securities/futures/investment

42.2

6

6

IT services (system/data/maintenance)

41.7

8

7

Online gaming

40.7

3

8

Energy/mineral/mining/smelting

39.8

7

9

Telecom/communication technology development and application

38.8

11

10

Aerospace research and manufacturing

38.2

13

Insurance continued to be the least competitive sector in the fourth quarter of 2018, with 14.2 applications per vacancy, followed by 17.3 for intermediary services, and 18.7 for printing/packaging/papermaking. The banking sector became less competitive with the number of applications declining 49.1% in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Least competitive sectors in the fourth quarter of 2018

Sector

Index

Insurance

14.2

Intermediary service

17.3

Printing/packaging/papermaking

18.7

Inspection/testing/authentication

18.8

Office supplies and equipment

20.1

Banking

21.1

Home furnishing/interior design/decoration

21.2

Outsourcing service

21.4

Processing and manufacturing (raw material processing/ mold)

21.6

Entertainment/sports/leisure

23.2

 Supply and demand by occupation

The top ten occupations with the most vacancies for white collar workers in the fourth quarter of 2018 remained the same as in the third quarter of 2018, including sales, education/training, and sales management.

Top ten occupations with the highest job demand in the fourth quarter of 2018

Ranking

Occupation

1

Sales

2

Education/training

3

Sales management

4

Administration/logistics/secretary

5

Software/internet development/system integration

6

Civil engineering/construction/decoration/municipal engineering

7

Customer service/pre-sales and after-sales support

8

Finance/auditing/tax

9

Internet product/operation management

10

Marketing

The top ten occupations with the most job applications in the fourth quarter of 2018 were also the same as the previous quarter, leading by software/internet development/system integration, finance/auditing/tax, and administration/logistics/secretary.

Top ten occupations with the most job applications in the fourth quarter of 2018

Ranking

Occupation

1

Software/internet development/system integration

2

Finance/auditing/tax

3

Administration/logistics/secretary

4

Human resources

5

Sales

6

Civil engineering/construction/decoration/municipal engineering

7

Sales management

8

Internet product/operation management

9

Art/design

10

Marketing

The most competitive occupation in the fourth quarter of 2018 was IT quality management/testing/configuration management with 96.9 applications per vacancy, followed by 92.6 for transportation services, and 76.7 for finance/audit/tax. For the securities/futures/investment management/service, the number of job postings declined more than the number of job applications, leading to a more fierce competition.

Top 10 most competitive occupations in the fourth quarter of 2018

Ranking

Occupation

Index

Ranking in previous quarter

1

IT quality management/testing/configuration management

96.9

2

2

Transportation services

92.6

1

3

Finance/auditing/tax

76.7

6

4

Software/internet development/system integration

70.4

5

5

Senior management

69.0

3

6

Administration/logistics/secretary

53.1

4

7

Human resources

52.7

7

8

Art/design

39.3

13

9

Securities/futures/investment management/service

38.1

12

10

Purchasing/trade

34.5

11

The least competitive occupations in the fourth quarter of 2018 were healthcare/beauty/hairdressing/bodybuilding with 10.4 applications per vacancy, followed by 12.3 for Insurance and 12.9 for sales.

Least competitive occupations in the fourth quarter of 2018

Occupation

Index

Healthcare/beauty/hairdressing/bodybuilding

10.4

Insurance

12.3

Sales

12.9

Mechanic/operator

13.2

Community/residency/housekeeping

13.3

Farming/forestry/animal husbandry/fishery

13.4

Chemical

13.7

Cooking/catering/food R&D

13.9

Education/Training

14.7

Trust/warrant/auction/pawn

15.0

 

Media Contact
Company Name: Zhaopin Limited
Contact Person: Ms. Serena Sun
Email: Send Email
Phone: (86-10) 5863 5888
Country: China
Website: https://www.zhaopin.com

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