(Yicai Global) May 10 -- Jobs in the information transmission, software and information technology service industries were China’s highest-paid last year, according to new official figures.

Employees in the information transmission, software and IT services industries received an average annual salary of CNY220,418 (USD31,850) from urban non-private units and CNY123,894 from private companies in 2022, up 9.4 percent and 8.1 percent respectively from the previous year, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed yesterday.

Urban non-private units include state-owned, urban collective, and joint venture units, limited liability and joint stock companies, corporations with foreign investments, and investments from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.

The higher salaries in these fields were mainly the result of surging demand for internet-based learning, working, socializing, and online shopping, said Wang Pingping, director of the NBS’ Population and Employment Department.

Wages in the financial sector rose the fastest last year, with the average annual salary at CNY174,341 in urban non-private units and CNY110,304 in private businesses, both up 15.6 percent from a year before, according to the NBS data.

Structural adjustments and downsizing to improve efficiency were the main reason behind the rapid increase in renumeration in financial services, Wang noted.

The lowest wages from urban non-private units were in the household services, repair, and other service industries, with workers getting an average salary of CNY47,760 (USD6,901) a year, up just 0.4 percent from 2021.

Regarding private companies, the sector with the lowest annual income was accommodation and catering, with staff earning an average of CNY53,995 last year. The slowest-growing sector was education, which logged a 0.4 percent gain in salaries from the prior year.

Real estate was the only industry that saw wages drop. The average for employees in the property sector was CNY90,346 at urban non-private units and CNY56,435 at private firms, down 0.9 percent and 3.2 percent respectively from 2021.

The annual wage paid to employees of urban non-private units was CNY114,029 last year, up 6.7 percent, and that of private companies rose 3.7 percent to CNY65,237.

Workers in eastern China earned on average more than their peers in the country’s northeastern provinces, the NBS data also showed.

Editor: Futura Costaglione